By Akinwande Soji-Ojo
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday depart Abuja on a state visit to Portugal, at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
According to a statement signed on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari will be conferred with the country’s National Honour and decorated with the ‘Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry.’
“The two Presidents are expected to chair an enlarged bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements bordering on issues of mutual concern.
“President Buhari will also visit the Portuguese Parliament and hold discussions with its President, Dr Augusto Santo Silva, as well as the Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa.
“In the course of the visit, the President is scheduled to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen and hold separate meetings with select Portuguese Chief Executive Officers and prospective investors to Nigeria,” the statement read.
Buhari will also participate in the United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference, which began in Lisbon on Monday, June 27, and runs till July 1.
The Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal and supported by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based innovative solutions to challenges facing oceans and the global marine ecosystem.
He is also expected to engage members of the Nigerian community in Portugal on matters affecting them and developments at home.
The President will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo; Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
Others are National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd); Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar; and Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
He will return to Abuja on Saturday, July 2.
