From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
After spending a week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he attended the 19th G20 Leaders Summit, President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja. President Tinubu arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 10:20 p.m. on Saturday, accompanied by his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
He was received by senior government officials at the airport among whom were the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani; the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike; the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
Tinubu praised the world Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which is led by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while he was in Brazil, calling it a “bold and visionary step” and “a significant milestone to eradicate global hunger and poverty.” He added that Nigeria is willing to serve as Africa’s representative on the UN Security Council.
In a bilateral meeting with the President on the fringes of the G20 Summit, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva praised the Tinubu-led administration’s economic reforms and the encouraging signs. The Nigerian government and JBS S.A., a Brazilian firm that ranks among the top three largest meat processing corporations in the world, signed a $2.5 billion Letter of Intent under President Tinubu’s direction.
He was accompanied on the official trip by top government officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Ministers of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Art, Tourism, Culture and Creativity, Hannatu Musawa, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.