President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the appointment of the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.

This was made known by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, who disclosed that the new UN Secretary General called the President on Thursday evening  to inform him of the development.

Shehu stated that President Buhari “used the opportunity to reiterate his support and congratulations to Mr Antonio Guterres on his upcoming tenure in the service.”

Buhari also endorsed the appointment of Mohammed, adding that “by her appointment, Nigeria has been honoured.”

The presidential spokesman added that the president “thanked Mrs Amina Mohammed for her untiring contribution to transform Nigeria.”

“President Buhari said he looked forward to sustained collaboration between the UN and Nigeria” Shehu stated, adding that “he had no doubt that she will continue to make Nigeria proud at the global level.”

Buhari later took to his own twitter handle where he posted: “I wholeheartedly endorse the choice of@AminaJMohammed as the next Deputy Secretary-General of the @UN. It is a great honour to Nigeria.”

According to Shehu, “It is expected that the Minister of Environment will be transitioning to her new role in March 2017.”

He added that until then, the minister “is expected (to) continue to lay strong foundations with various important ongoing initiatives critical to the government’s success in the Environment sector.”

Shehu listed some of the projects currently being worked on by the environment ministry to include the “implementation of our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Climate Agreement, the successful launch of the Sovereign Green Bonds in 2017, the ongoing Ogoni cleanup (as well as the) development of the Great Green Wall.”

The new UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, announced the  Environment minister, as his Deputy Secretary-General on Thursday.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be appointing Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet,” Guterres had announced through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.