Also, President Buhari yesterday said Nigeria’s size and resources had imposed on her a stabilising role in the West African subregion and the African continent as a whole, assuring that he would study the content of concerns by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and brief the in-coming president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on them.
Speaking after receiving a message from President Ibrahim Ghali of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) special envoy at the State House, Abuja yesterday, President Buhari in a statement by his media aide , Garba Shehu, said peace and stability were central to the vision of Nigeria in Africa, adding that these were essential to security and prosperity in the continent.
He thanked the president of Sahrawi Republic for the message he sent and gave an assurance that he would study its content and brief the in-coming president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on their concerns, urging the envoy to make the effort to brief the in-coming president as well.
The special envoy, Mohammed Saleh, who was a minister of foreign affairs, now minister of diplomatic affairs, recalled the role of President Buhari in 1983 as military Head of State as being the first African leader to recognise the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, paving the way thereby, for its recognition by the Organisation of African Unity, now African Union.
“History will not forget your important role in leading the fight for African freedom using money, arms and diplomacy in the African Union and the United Nations to secure independence for South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia for, without this, these nations would not have been free,” said the envoy.
Ambassador Saleh expressed the sadness of his country in President Buhari leaving office and expressed the hope that the Tinubu government would maintain the same interest in the independence struggle. He urged the president to continue to maintain relevance in the affairs of the SADR and that of the entire continent.
Buhari accepted the request of the president of the Sahrawi Republic to participate in the inaugural events ushering in the new Nigerian president in May.
