The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, has described the participation of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and his entourage at the United Nations General Assembly, as a multilateral outing and not a business affair.
Adesina, on Tuesday, said in a programme monitored by our correspondent on Channels Television, that the purpose of the trip was to be part of the world debate on issues affecting the world and the planet and not to strike business deals.
He said this when asked by the anchor of the programme, what result Nigerians should expect from sponsoring the President and his long list of entourage on the trip.
Adesina said, “The United Nations General Assembly is a multilateral outing and not a trading affair. The purpose for being here is not for buying and selling. The main purpose for coming here is to be part of the world debate on the way forward from COVID 19, climate change, the war in Ukraine and the likes.
He added however, that the President had a long list of side meetings lined up from now till Saturday, that Nigerians would benefit from.
He said, “The President has two bilateral meetings today with two presidents, four bilateral meetings tomorrow, some others on Thursday and the list goes on like that up until Saturday.
“We cannot begin to count the outcome of the meetings until they have held. When discussions are over, then, we can talk about gains from those meetings,” he added.
When asked if he would be willing to share the outcome of the meeting with Nigerians, who deserve a right to know, as the sponsor of the trip, Adesina said, “I would be back with the details of the proceeds of the meetings when they are ready, but for now, let the meetings take place before we start counting gains.”
