President Muhammadu Buhari has been invited to deliver a keynote address at the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), at The Hague, Netherlands on Monday.
The President, who leaves for that country tomorrow, Sunday, according to his spokesman, Femi Adesina, is the only world leader that was so invited to deliver the keynote address during the Solemn Hearing to commemorate the anniversary at Courtroom 1 of the ICC’s Headquarters at The Hague.
The statement by Adesina said that Buhari is expected to use the opportunity, as the current anti-corruption champion for the African Union, to reaffirm Nigeria’s support to the fundamental values of the Rome Statute and to the ideals of the ICC as well as highlighting his administration’s campaign against corruption in Nigeria.
It said that after the event at the Courtroom, the President will have a bilateral meeting with the ICC Prosecutor, Ms Fatou Bensouda, adding that he will also attend a dinner hosted by Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, the President of the ICC who is a Nigerian.
Buhari is also expected to meet with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, to discuss bilateral issues such as migration, peace and security, and economic cooperation.
The President and his delegation will have a separate roundtable with some Dutch Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of companies based in Nigeria with a view to urging them to expand their investments, especially in agriculture, oil and gas in Nigeria.
President Buhari will also tour the Port of Rotterdam and Shell refinery Pernis, Hoogvliet, adding that on the margins of the President’s visit, Nigeria and the Netherlands will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral consultations.
The statement said that those who will accompany the President include Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
Others are the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh; the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar; the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru; and the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman.
