President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected the offer given to Nigeria by Saudi Arabia to join forces as a coalition of Islamic states against terrorism.
President Buhari jetted out to Saudi Arabia on Monday, February 22 to meet with King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz in bilateral talks in the bid to stable the plummeting price of oil.
It would appear however, that discussions about oil prices is not the only objective of the president’s journey.
According to Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman, President Buhari and King Salman had extensive talks on global issues and both agreed that terrorism is a threat to their countries and therefore needs close cooperation to wipe out.
Even though President Buhari did not accept the invitation offered to Nigeria to be a part of the coalition of Islamic states against terror spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, he did say ‘even if we are not a part of it, we support you’.
“I must thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the recent creation of a coalition to address the menace of international terrorism. Nigeria will support your efforts in keeping peace and stopping the spread of terror in your region.”
“This is in consonance with our own commitment and ongoing efforts in seeking to stamp out Boko Haram terrorists from the West African sub-region and Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).”
“International terrorism made a statement by attacking one of the advanced countries by carrying out an attack on Paris, in which 130 were killed. “Now we have to come together to find a common solution to the problem of terrorism.”
He appreciated the Saudi Arabian government for its support of Nigeria in the fight against terrorism while King Salman applauded the progress made in the fight against the Boko Haram sect and promised to give further support.
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