President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Babagana Kingibe as his Special Envoy to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement on Monday night.
According to Mustapha, Kingibe’s appointment as a Special Envoy is 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.
Mustapha said the Special Envoy will among other things, monitor developments in Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region; aid reconciliation and seamless progress towards return to democratic rule at the end of the current Transitional Military Council’s rule.
The former running mate to the late MKO Abiola in the 1993 Presidential Election will also collaborate with member countries and partners in the region with similar initiatives to restore stability, promote peace and, security; and promote any other initiative ancillary to the restoration of peace and security in Chad, the North East Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Region.
“President Buhari has by this appointment demonstrated the determination of Nigeria to lead regional security efforts that will stabilize the Lake Chad Basin Region, bring peace to Chad and ultimately eliminate the Boko Haram Insurgency in the North East zone of Nigeria.”
“This is also a fulfilment of the President’s promise to General Mahamat Deby Itno, the President of the Transitional Military Council of Chad, to support a seamless progress towards return to democratic rule, when he visited Nigeria in May, 2021,” Mustapha said.
He added that Kingibe is an accomplished multi-lingual diplomat, who had at various times served the nation as Federal Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Constituent Assembly, Cabinet Minister and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He had also participated in previous Nigeria-led Chadian reconciliation talks (Kano 1 & II as well as Lagos 1 & II).