President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria is currently engaged in a meeting with the newly elected President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
News About Nigeria reports that the visit follows Tinubu’s attendance at Faye’s inauguration in Dakar, Senegal, in April.
President Faye, who took office on April 2, 2024, arrived at the State House forecourt at 3 pm and was warmly received by the military band’s pipers.
He was promptly ushered into a closed-door session with President Tinubu.
Recall that Tinubu’s visit to Senegal was announced by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, who stated that the trip was at the invitation of the Republic of Senegal.
As the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, Tinubu joined other regional leaders at the Diamniadio Exhibition Centre to witness Faye’s inauguration.
He was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and other senior government officials.
Despite never holding a national-elected office, Faye defied the odds and won the March 24 presidential election with an impressive 54.3 percent of the vote, just 10 days after his release from prison.
His anti-establishment message, backed by opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko and his humble personality, contributed to his resounding first-round victory over the governing coalition’s candidate.
In his victory speech, delivered in French and Wolof, Faye listed his priorities: “national reconciliation,” alleviating the painful cost-of-living crisis, and combating corruption.
He pledged to restore national sovereignty, which he believes has been compromised, and plans to revamp the oil, gas, and fishing sectors. Additionally, he aims to introduce a new national currency, replacing the CFA franc, and invest heavily in agriculture and industry to address the country’s 20 percent unemployment rate.
On the international stage, Faye seeks to reintegrate military-run Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger into the ECOWAS fold and rebalance partnerships for mutual benefit.
