President Muhammadu Buhari will begin a two-legged trip out of Abuja on Friday; first to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for a summit, and another five-day visit to his country home, Daura, in Katsina State.
He will be away till Wednesday next week.
The Presidency explained on Thursday that Buhari would be in Malabo to attend the 5th Gas Exporting Countries Forum Summit.
Other gas producing countries expected at the summit include Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Bolivia, Iran, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Norway.
The countries “account for 70 per cent and 80 per cent of global gas reserves and production, respectively,” Presidential spokesperson, Mr Garba Shehu, said in a statement.
He said an invitation to Buhari to attend the summit was delivered to him on November 19 in Abuja by Mr Gabriel Lima, the Special Envoy of President Teodoro Mbasogo.
The Presidency added, “Nigeria, being home to the largest natural gas reserves in Africa, over 202 trillion cubic feet, and the ninth largest in the world, the Malabo Summit provides a veritable platform for President Buhari to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to the broad objectives of the GECF, which among others, seek to ‘support the sovereign rights of member countries over their natural gas resources and their ability to independently plan and manage the sustainable, efficient and environmentally-conscious development, use and conservation of natural gas resources for the benefit of their people.
“The Nigerian delegation will also use the opportunity to discuss current trends in the global gas market, potential policies for the energy sector and opportunities for collaboration.”
Those to be on the President’s entourage are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite; and the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mele Kolo Kyari.
“After the Summit, President Buhari will head for Daura, Katsina State, on a five-day official visit,” it said.
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