President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja called on the international
community to further collaborate on tackling some of the major threats
across the globe, which include terrorism, insurgency, displacement of
persons, and climate change, reiterating that the growing challenges
pose real threat to human existence.
Speaking at a ceremony for receiving Letters of Credence at the State
House, President Buhari urged diplomats to work towards building
stronger relations, with focus on providing joint solutions to rising
human and natural challenges.
The President received letters of credence from High Commissioner of The
Gambia, Mr Mohamadou Musa Njie, Ambassador of South Korea, Mr Kim
Young-Chae, Ambassador of Slovak, Mr Tomas Felix, High Commissioner of
Australia, Mr John Gerard Donnelly, High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Mr
Md. Masudur Rahman and Ambassador of Guinea Bissau, Dr Jaao Ribeiro
Butiam Co.
“I would like to lay emphasis on the need for us to come together to
address and overcome our common challenges. Terrorism, Insurgency,
Displacement of Persons, Climate Change, Population Explosion, Human
Trafficking, Corruption, Poverty, and Proliferation of Small Arms and
Light Weapons are all either the sources of conflict or results of it.
“These challenges though on a diverse scale, threaten the existence of
humanity and human relations. These challenges underscore the need for
the international community to work together to collectively identify
appropriate measures to globally overcome these challenges,” he said.
President Buhari told the envoys that the novel coronavirus pandemic
remains humanity’s greatest threat as it does not only affect public
health, but also has a devastating effect on people’s economy and
livelihood.
“Although countries around the world have commenced the vaccine rollout
against the pandemic, mitigating the spread of the virus and the impact
of its infection, remains cause for concern,” the President noted.
President Buhari assured the new Ambassadors that Nigeria enjoys very
good bilateral relations with each of their countries, and there was
need to enhance the cordial relations for the joint benefit of citizens.
“In addition to the fraternal relations between us, the one thing
Nigeria has in common with your countries is peace. Peace is priceless,
desirable and crucial to sustainable development and achieving the
targets set by the UN global initiatives.
“It is therefore imperative for us to work individually and bilaterally
for sustainable peace. Achieving global peace is vital to attaining food
security. Peace and food security should be pursued simultaneously,” he
said.
While welcoming the Ambassadors to Nigeria as they formally assume
diplomatic responsibilities, the President urged them to build on the
successes of their predecessors.
“This age-long tradition and practice enshrined in the Vienna Convention
on diplomatic relations marks the official commencement of your
functions as principal representatives of your respective countries,”
he added.
Speaking on behalf of the diplomats, High Commissioner of The Gambia
thanked the President for the warm reception they had received since
coming into the country.
“We will not spare efforts in putting in our best to improve relations
between our countries,” he said.