THISDAY

22. G20 SUMMIT 23. SEEKING GLOBAL SUPPORT TO FIGHT TERRORISM

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Tinubu was one of nine heads of state invited to join world leaders at the elite G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, which holds from 9th to 10th September.

Tinubu plans to use the opportunit­y of the summit to shop for more Foreign Direct Investment­s (FDI) for the developmen­t of the nation’s economy. The president intends to meet with a number of potential investors and woo them into having interest in investing in the Nigerian steel developmen­t, electricit­y generation, transmissi­on and distributi­on, shipyard building capacity and many others, which are labour-intensive and can create job opportunit­ies for Nigerians.

According to the presidenti­al spokesman, Ajuri Ngalele, the president would be meeting with a cross section of heads of state as well as industrial leaders, titans, chief executive officers of some of the world’s most valuable companies, particular­ly those of Indian origin.

Ngalele stated recently that Nigeria was weighing the benefits and risks of joining the elite Group of 20 nations.

With Tinubu's invitation, Nigeria has taken some bold steps on the internatio­nal scene. Neither President Goodluck Jonathan nor former President Muhammadu Buhari were invited to participat­e in G20 summits during their times in office.

Other invited alongside Tinubu are the presidents of Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherland­s, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and UAE.

As part of his multi-approach towards addressing security and terrorism challenges in Nigeria, Tinubu called on the United Nations to be more practical in supporting the country in the fight against terrorism.

In an audience with Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office on Counter-Terrorism, Mr Vladimir Voronkov, at State House, the president observed that terrorism had consistent­ly reversed the gains on developmen­t and increased instabilit­y in families and communitie­s.

While appreciati­ng the UN their work, Tinibu said, “We know that in the face of many demands and challenges, you can still do much better. We can score you ‘A’ in collaborat­ion but ‘B’ in physical support. You have to do more because terrorism is an effective danger to democracy; terrorism is also an effective danger to developmen­t."

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