Maritime: Buhari to attend summit of Gulf of Guinea Heads of State, Government in Ghana

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Abuja for Accra on Tuesday, April 25 to attend the 3rd Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, (GGC) convened by President Nana Akuffo-Ado of Ghana.

This was contained in a statement Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The President, according to the statement, is scheduled to participate and deliver remarks at the high-level discussion on strategies for strengthening peace and security in the fight against maritime-related crimes in the region.

As the immediate past Chair of the Assembly, President Buhari had championed collective efforts by Member States of the region, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) and their partners to address and prevent piracy, the statement noted.

It recalled that in June, 2019, Nigeria’s National Assembly passed the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, 2019, (POMO Act) which aims to prevent and suppress piracy, armed robbery and other unlawful acts against a ship.

The statement added that the President will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.Gen Babagana Monguno (Rtd), the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, among other government officials.