President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Friday at State House, told Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and Special Envoy of President Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr. William Ruto, that Nigeria was concerned about the activities of terrorists in Somalia and other places in Africa, and the attendant negative effects on peace and development in the continent.
I have just declared a state of emergency in three states in our country, to check the havoc of terrorists’, he stated, ‘so I can appreciate the issues confronting Somalia and Kenya’.
President Jonathan said Africa needs to find a collective solution to the problem of Somalia, and suggested a meeting of leaders on the sidelines of the African Union 50th Anniversary Summit, scheduled to hold next week.
On the bilateral level, President Jonathan told the Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister that Nigeria and Kenya had a lot to gain from stronger mutual relations, and assured him of necessary cooperation in this regard.
Earlier, Mr. William Ruto, Deputy Prime Minister and Special Envoy, told President Jonathan that President Kenyatta requested Nigeria’s intervention to help find and African solution to the Somalia problem which had spilled into Kenya.
‘Nigeria plays a leadership role in Africa, and Kenya needs you to join other leaders for a framework to help resolve the Somalia problem’, he said, adding that President Jonathan’s personal intervention would help.
Mr. Ruto also spoke about improving relations through extending Kenya Airways flights to Abuja, as well as Kenya’s commitment to enhancing intra-African trade.
REUBEN ABATI
Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity)
May 17, 2013
