NIGERIA: Tinubu To Attend G20 Leaders’ Summit In Brazil

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria  

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Sunday for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 19th meeting of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The two-day event, scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2024, is being hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who also serves as the current president of the group.

According to a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the summit will bring together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, African Union, and other multilateral organisations.

The theme for this year’s summit is “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” with discussions focusing on hunger and poverty reduction, reforms of global governing institutions, and sustainable development.

Tinubu’s attendance underscores Nigeria’s continued push for reforms in global governance and its aspirations for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings to advance Nigeria’s socio-economic reforms during the summit.

Accompanying the President are several top government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha; the Minister of Art, Tourism, Culture and Creativity, Hannatu Musawa; the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed.

This trip marks Tinubu’s first visit to Brazil as President and his 31st foreign trip since assuming office 17 months ago. Over this period, the President has visited 16 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands, spending 125 days abroad and accumulating over 267 flight hours.

The President is expected to return to Nigeria at the conclusion of the summit.