African countries should look out for one another - President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday re-emphasised the need for neighbouring countries to always protect one another’s interests, saying their mutual survival depends on one another.

President Buhari stated this while playing host to President Patrice Talon of Republic of Benin, who was on an official visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, said, “good neighbourliness is very important in our lives. The survival of your neighbour is also your own, and we will continue to work with our neighbours in the light of this understanding.”

He recalled that on assumption of office for first term in 2015, one of the very first steps he took was to visit neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin – all towards forging a common understanding on crucial issues, including security, trade and development.

According to him, “And those are issues we must continue to engage on, for the good of our countries and the people. Whatever irritations that come up must be removed.”

Speaking earlier, President Talon said, he was in Nigeria to show gratitude to President Buhari for the robust leadership he displays in Nigeria and Africa.

Noting that the challenges of 2020 were huge, he stressed that the same challenges may remain in 2021, “and our relationship as neighbours must, therefore, remain cordial.”