*To reaffirm Nigeria’s right to nuclear energy for development at the summit
President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for Washington DC, United States of America tomorrow, Wednesday, March 30, 2016.
He will join President Barack Obama and about 60 other world leaders and heads of international organisations at the 4th Nuclear Security Summit which opens there on Thursday.
The plenary session of the summit is dedicated to reinforcing international commitment to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
There, President Buhari will insist that while Nigeria will continue to sustain that commitment, world powers must respect the right of other countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy for development purposes.
The President will reaffirm Nigeria’s stance that international efforts to ensure greater security of nuclear materials should maintain a balance between nuclear non-proliferation obligations and the indisputable right of Nigeria and other countries to harness nuclear energy and technology for socio-economic development.
It will be recalled that President Buhari held a meeting with the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], Mr. Yukiya Amano in Abuja earlier this month.
At the meeting, Buhari told him that the Federal Government will welcome greater support from the agency for Nigeria’s aspiration to begin the generation of electricity with nuclear energy.
With the President to Washington DC for the Nuclear Security Summit is his delegation which includes Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State.
Others are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.) and the Director-General of Nigeria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Prof Lawrence Anikwe Dim.
There they will also hold bilateral meetings with other participating Heads of Government and high-ranking United States Government officials.
President Buhari will depart Washington DC for Abuja on Sunday.
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