The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, departed Abuja for Dakar, the Senegalese capital, to participate in the International Development Association for Africa Summit.
At the Summit, Buhari is expected to join other African leaders in an open Dialogue on Development Challenges and priorities as well as transformational initiatives that will lead to an outcome document, the Dakar Declaration.
The President embarked on the trip barely 24 hours after a convoy of cars conveying his advance team of security guards, protocol and media officers ahead of his trip to Daura for Sallah, came under terrorist attack.
Also on Tuesday, the correctional centre in Kuje, Abuja, was attacked by bandits leading to the escape of inmates from the facility. Sixty-four suspected members of Boko Haram terrorists were among those who escaped from the correctional centre as a result of the attack.
Shortly after news of the incidents broke, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, announced that Buhari would be travelling to Dakar.
The trip made it the 11th the President has embarked on this year, four of which happened in June alone.
On February 4, the President arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ahead of the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Africa Union Heads of State and Government.
On the 15th of the same month, Buhari left Abuja to attend the 6th European Union-African Union Summit in Belgium.
On March 1, Buhari left Nigeria for Kenya to attend the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme. In the same month, Buhari went on a medical trip to the United Kingdom where he spent two weeks.
Not embarking on any travels in April, Buhari resumed international travels when he visited Cote D’Ivoire to attend the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention To Combat Desertification which held on May 9. He also visited the United Arab Emirates to console with the country over the death of Sheikh Khalif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
In June, Buhari visited Spain on the invitation of his counterpart Pedro Sanchez, attended the Extraordinary Summit of the Economic Committee of West African States in Ghana, the 26 CHOGM Meeting in Rwanda and made a state visit to Portugal to meet President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.
Source punchng
