COP24: President Buhari returns from Poland

President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja from Poland, where he participated in the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice.

While in Poland, Mr Buhari delivered his national address at the 12-day meeting of COP24, and met with several world leaders.

He also visited the impressive Nigerian pavilion at the climate summit.

The president, on Tuesday, visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, in Oświęcim, Poland where he paid tribute to Holocaust victims.

Before leaving the Museum, which included the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, Mr Buhari fielded questions from State House Correspondents travelling with him.

The president described those fanning embers of discord in Nigeria as ‘illiterates and ignorant’.

Mr Buhari held bilateral meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset, President of Poland, Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki as well as his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen.

The Nigerian leader also met with Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte and both leaders followed up on their past discussions, during their last meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, in July, which centred on trade, investments and partnerships in agriculture.

The president welcomed the proposal by the Dutch Prime Minister to visit Abuja soon and promised that the Nigerian government would continue to provide a conducive business environment for existing and prospective Dutch investors.

Mr Buhari also met with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas.

The prime minister of the Northern European country sought Nigeria’s support on its bid for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for 2020 to 2021.

Mr Buhari also attended a town-hall meeting with Nigerians in Poland, a day after his arrival in the country, where he dismissed as wicked, the cloning allegation against him, saying ‘‘It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong’’.