President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the newly inaugurated President of Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, of the commitment to stabilise the region.
President Buhari gave the assurance Monday while receiving his Nigerien counterpart who was in Nigeria on his first international visit.
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“We will stabilise our region for the benefit of the two countries,” he said in a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
The President said Nigerians and Nigeriens are people with similar culture, language and ways of life, “and we also share about 1,500 kilometres of land border, so we cannot ignore each other.”
President Buhari, who congratulated Bazoum on winning the recent presidential election, and his successful inauguration into office, assured that Nigeria would assist its close neighbour in diverse ways as required.
“You have been in the system for a long time. The only thing is that you had never been President. Now you are one,” he added.
On terrorism, as perpetrated by Boko Haram, President Buhari observed that Republic of Niger also suffers high casualties, vowing, “We will do all it takes to secure our two countries.”
President Buhari, who thanked the immediate past President, Mahamadou Issoufou, for what he called “his understanding and sacrifices” to help stabilize the region, urged the successor to maintain the institutions his predecessor had established.
President Bazoum, who said he was delighted to make Nigeria his first port of call, noted that the two countries have common interests, “and, therefore, a good relationship is very important.
“On security, he observed that the fact that some Nigerians flee to Niger during terrorist attacks “shows that we need to cooperate, and we will face our challenges together.”
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