President Buhari Embarks On Eighth Foreign Trip In Five Months

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, embarked on a two-day state visit to Madrid, the capital city of Spain.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President’s visit is in response to an invitation by his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez.

The President is expected back in the country on Friday, days before the presidential primary elections of the All Progressives Congress.

With the trip, Buhari would have visited eight countries in the last five months.

He had in May visited the United Arabs Emirate where he paid a condolence visit to the country over the loss of its immediate past leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nayan; Equatorial Guinea, where he attended the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union; and the Ivory Coast, where he attended the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Buhari also visited Brussels, Belgium in February when he joined other world leaders for the 6th European Union-African Union Summit; Nairobi Kenya in March, where he attended the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environmental Programme; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February for the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Africa Union Heads of State and Government; and London, the United Kingdom in March, for a two-week medical check-up.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, however told Punch’s correspondents that there are many benefits inherent in all the trips.

“There are several takeaways from the President’s visits to these countries,” Shehu said.