Nigerian President Appoints Babagana Kingibe as Special Envoy to Chad
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as his special envoy to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region (LCB).
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, made this known in a statement he issued on Monday, May 31.
Mustapha said the appointment was in fulfilment of President Buhari’s promise to aid Chad Republic in its journey towards achieving a seamless transition back to democratic rule within 18 months as promised by General Mahamat Deby Itno.
The statement said the appointment, which is a cabinet rank status, would require Kingibe to, among other things, monitor developments in Chad; collaborate with members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission who have a similar vision of restoring peace and security to Chad.
He said:
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, as his special envoy with Cabinet Rank Status, to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region.
“This appointment of a special envoy by the president is also in consonance with the resolution of the extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission member countries, on the situation in Chad on the 25th of May, 2021.
“The special envoy will amongst others monitor developments in Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region; aid reconciliation and seamless progress towards a return to democratic rule at the end of the current Transitional Military Council’s rule; collaborate with member countries and partners in the region with similar initiatives to restore stability, promote peace and, security.”
In the same vein, President Buhari also approved the take-off of the National Senior Citizens Centre, with AVM M.A. Muhammad appointed as chairman and Emem Omokaro as director-general.
He also appointed 10 other members of the board.
The appointments and the take-off of the centre were in conformity with Section 16 (2) (d) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended which mandates the State to provide adequate social services and improve the quality of life of the elderly.
The National Senior Citizens Centre was passed into law as the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2017 to cater for the needs of senior citizens (70 and above) in the country.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that the federal government disclosed the rationale behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of Major General Faruk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff.
The government made the clarification via the minister of defence, Major-General Bashir Salihi-Magashi (rtd) in a statement issued on Friday, May 28.
The statement issued by the minister’s spokesman, Mohammad Abdulkadri, and said President Buhari’s choice was fuelled by patriotism and the need for national cohesion.
