President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for Portugal on Tuesday, June 28, at the invitation of President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The President, who will hold official talks with his Portuguese counterpart, will be awarded the country’s highest honor, the ‘Great Collar of the Order of Prince Henry.’
The two Presidents are expected to preside over an expanded bilateral meeting and witness the signing of some agreements concerning mutual concerns.
President Buhari will also visit the Portuguese Parliament and meet with its president, Dr. Augusto Santo Silva, as well as Portugal’s Prime Minister, Antonio Costa.
During his visit, the President is scheduled to address a Forum of Nigerian and Portuguese businessmen, as well as meet with select Portuguese Chief Executive Officers and prospective investors to Nigeria.
President Buhari will also attend the United Nations Ocean Conference, which begins on Monday, June 27 and runs through July 1.
The Conference, co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal and supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), aims to accelerate the adoption of science-based innovative solutions to challenges facing oceans and the global marine ecosystem.
The Nigerian leader is also expected to engage members of the Nigerian community in Portugal on issues affecting them and domestic developments.
The President will be accompanied by Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture; Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports; and Isa Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.
Others include National Security Adviser Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar, and Honorable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
On Saturday, July 2, he will return to Abuja.
