JUST IN: Tinubu arrives in Ethiopia for 38th African Union Summit

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to take part in the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government. 

The event is scheduled for February 14 – 18, 2025.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga announced this in a statement he issued in the early hours of Friday, titled ‘President Tinubu arrives in Ethiopia for AU summit.’

“The President was welcomed at the airport by the Ethiopian Deputy Chief of Protocol, Eshetu Legesse, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Nasir Aminu, the charge d’affaires of the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia,” the statement indicated.

Tuggar subsequently briefed President Tinubu on the summit and some diplomatic achievements for Nigeria, in a meeting that lasted until around 2 a.m. on Friday. Among the highlights was the re-election of Bankole Adeoye as African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. Nigeria also maintained its position on the African Union Peace and Security Council, which, according to Tuggar, reaffirmed “Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to peace and security on the continent."

Present at the briefing were the Ministers of Finance, Wale Edun; Defence, Abubakar Badaru; Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Aviation, Festus Keyamo; Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris; Environment, Balarabe Lawal; and State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite. The Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, also participated in the briefing.

This year’s AU summit, themed ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,’ will center on issues of reparatory justice and racial healing.

Tinubu is set to deliver a speech during the Summit-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council, where discussions will address ongoing security challenges on the continent, particularly the rising conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The President will also engage in discussions on health financing, the establishment of an Africa Credit Rating Agency, and climate change.

“Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja on Monday, February 17,” the statement concluded.