PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will on Sunday, October 12, depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, to attend the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting.
The meeting will focus on tackling the worsening security crisis in West Africa.
The programme, scheduled to begin on October 14, will bring together leaders from across Africa, senior intelligence and military officials, as well as representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations.
Participants are expected to discuss the growing threats of terrorism, organised crime, and piracy affecting the region.
Launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Aqaba Process is a counter-terrorism initiative jointly chaired by Jordan and the Italian government. It aims to enhance international cooperation in confronting terrorism and violent extremism, particularly in regions facing rising instability.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the meeting will examine the expansion of terrorist networks in West Africa, the link between crime and terror groups, and the increasing overlap between land-based insurgencies in the Sahel and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Participants will also exchange insights on the current security landscape and explore new strategies for countering terrorism both on land and at sea. The meeting will further address how to disrupt digital networks used for terrorist propaganda and recruitment.
While in Rome, President Tinubu is expected to hold bilateral talks with other world leaders on strengthening regional cooperation and addressing security challenges across the subregion.
The President will be accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu–Ojukwu; the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and other senior government officials.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.