JUST IN: Buhari Appoints Babagana Kingibe As Special Envoy

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as his special envoy.

Gatekeepers News reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, GCON as his Special Envoy with Cabinet Rank Status, to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region.

This was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

In the statement, Mustapha said:

“This appointment of a Special Envoy by the President is also in consonance with the resolution of the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Member Countries, on the situation in Chad on the 25th of May, 2021.

“The Special Envoy will amongst others: Monitor developments in Chad and the Lake Chad Basin Region;

aid reconciliation and seamless progress towards a return to democratic rule at the end of the current Transitional Military Council’s rule; collaborate with member countries and partners in the region with similar initiatives to restore stability, promote peace and, security; and promote any other initiative ancillary to the restoration of peace and security in Chad, the North-East Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Region.”

Boss Mustapha noted that President Buhari has by this appointment “demonstrated the determination of Nigeria to lead regional security efforts that will stabilize the Lake Chad Basin Region, bring peace to Chad and ultimately eliminate the Boko Haram Insurgency in the North East zone of Nigeria.

“This is also a fulfilment of the President’s promise to General Mahamat Deby Itno, the President of the Transitional Military Council of Chad, to support seamless progress towards a return to democratic rule, when he visited Nigeria in May, 2021,” he added.

BabaGana Kingibe GCON is a Nigerian diplomat, politician and civil servant who has held several high ranking government offices

He was Secretary to the Government of the Federation from 2007 to 2008.

He spent over a decade in the Foreign Service cadre and has been in politics since the 1970s serving six heads of state.

In 1993, he was the vice-presidential running mate to Chief Moshood Abiola in the famous annulled 1993 presidential election.

He later joined the government in service of military dictator General Sani Abacha and a member of his politico-military caucus as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Minister of Internal Affairs from 1995 to 1997; and later Minister of Power and Steel from 1997 to 1998.