The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, received the Head of the ECOWAS Mediation Team, former President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Jonathan seized the opportunity of the visit to brief Buhari about next Sunday’s special meeting of ECOWAS, slated to hold in Ghana, which is meant to deliberate on the political situation in Mali.
This is according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled ‘Mali: President Buhari receives briefing from former President Jonathan.’
Buhari reiterated his position that Nigeria’s intervention in Mali’s transition to democracy will be within the ambit of the ECOWAS.
Hours earlier, the President had pledged Nigeria’s support to Mali as its transitional leadership works to restore the country to civilian rule.
He, however, made it clear that Nigeria’s assistance will not go beyond the limits of the extant sanctions imposed on the country by the ECOWAS.
Buhari spoke while receiving a special envoy from the Mali’s transitional President, Col. Assimi Goita, Mali’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Col. Abdoulaye Maiga, who briefed the President on conclusions from the National Conference on State-Rebuilding held in Bamako between December 27 and 30, 2021.
Responding to the briefing, the President said nobody could love Mali more than Malians themselves, counselling that everyone should work within the tenets of ECOWAS to restore constitutional order to the West African country at the shortest possible time.
“I am pleased you have briefed the ECOWAS Chairman too. Nigeria will work within ECOWAS limitations to assist Mali. Every country has its issues.
“We fought our own Civil War before, so we may not know the totality of the internal politics of each country. But we will make as much sacrifice as we can for Mali, within ECOWAS requirements,” he said.
