President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Videos shared by presidential aides showed the moment the 44-year-old was received at the villa by President Tinubu in company with the Ministers of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, as well as the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
This is Faye’s first visit to Nigeria since he assumed office as the youngest president in Senegal’s history in April.
On 25 April, Faye made his first foreign visit as president to Mauritania, where he met with President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in Nouakchott.
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday received in audience his Senegalese counterpart, Diomaye Faye, at the State House, Abuja.
The president alongside top government officials welcomed the visiting 44-year-old Senegalese leader at the forecourt of the presidential villa in Abuja.
President Tinubu and his youthful guest, who was inaugurated as Senegalese President in April, 2024 after a delayed election, are currently holding bilateral talks behind closed-door.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, hosted the new Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and called for an alignment of purpose and structure in West Africa to effectively address the challenges confronting the region.Speaking during a meeting with Faye at the State House, the president said West Africa must work together to defeat the hydra-headed problems of terrorism, banditry, human trafficking and poverty.
According to him, “We must defeat human trafficking. We must defeat terrorism, banditry, and poverty in our society. That must be our focus and commitment.”He advised leaders in the region to make the people the point of convergence in governance, noting that the essence of democracy was lost when the people were not the focal point.President Tinubu emphasised that democratic governance, democratic values, and constitutional order were sacrosanct and must be protected.He also stated that critical institutions and precepts, like the judiciary and the rule of law, must be respected and observed for the sustenance of democracy.“Constitutional democracy is what Senegal proved to the rest of the world and Africa. It is a joy to have you here; to meet the hope and aspiration of our youths. You fit in perfectly well.
” A critical time it is in the history of constitutional democracy, particularly in West Africa. What you have embarked upon, a struggle couched in freedom, is remarkable,” the president said.Tinubu described Nigeria and Senegal as brotherly nations, recounting both countries’ long history of cooperation.“We are brothers. We have shared interest in democracy. To make democracy sustainable in the interest of our people, we definitely must work hard. I am glad that you are a shining example of patience, perseverance, and commitment to democratic values.
We must partner to make our people the focus of our democratic commitment. Your belief in the sovereignty of Africa is shared by all of us. But how can we work for our people and make them the focus of our democracy if we are violating the rule of law and promoting unconstitutional takeover of government?“As the Chairman of ECOWAS, I am inviting you to collaborate and meet those other brothers. To persuade them to come back to the fold. We will continue to work together. We share good backgrounds, and we will continue to embrace and promote democratic governance.“We must be able to partner and build the freedom we believe in – in economic growth, development, and other spheres of governance. It is left for us to provide assurance to our people and walk our talk,” he stated.In his remarks, President Faye acknowledged Nigeria and Senegal’s shared values, ideals, and challenges, emphasising that both nations have always had good relations since the 1960s.
