From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged African leaders to speak ‘with one voice’ to achieve economic integration, development, peace, and security on the continent.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement said, Buhari gave the advise at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea last Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey.
President Buhari said leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The two leaders, who met on the margins of the ninth D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Buhari assured President Conde, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union (AU) that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and also the political crisis in Togo.
In his remarks, Conde praised Nigeria’s leadership on the continent, particularly President Buhari’s anti-corruption drive and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.
The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, as Guinea boasts 25 per cent or more of the world’s known bauxite reserves.