President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Babagana Kingibe as his special envoy to Chad and the Lake Chad Basin region.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Monday in Abuja.

“This appointment of a special envoy by the president is in consonance with the resolution of the extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Member Countries on the situation in Chad on the May 25.

“The special envoy will, among others, monitor development in Chad and the Lake Chad Basin region; aid the reconciliation and seamless progress towards returning to democratic rule at the end of the current Transitional Military Council`s rule.

“He will collaborate with member countries and partners in the region with similar initiatives to restore stability, promote peace and security,” the statement said.

Other responsibilities include promoting any other initiative ancillary to restoring peace and security in Chad, the North-East, and the Lake Chad Basin region.

Mr Mustapha added that the president had, by the appointment, demonstrated Nigeria’s determination to lead regional security efforts that would stabilize the Lake Basin region.

He further stated that the action would bring peace to Lake Chad and ultimately eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East zone of Nigeria.

“This is also a fulfilment of the president’s promise to Gen. Mahamat Deby Itno, the President of the Transitional Military Council of Lake Chad.

“It is a promise Mr President made to support a seamless progress towards a return to democratic rule when he visited Nigeria in May,” he said.

Mr Kingibe is a multilingual diplomat who had served the nation as federal permanent secretary, secretary to the Constituent Assembly, cabinet minister, and SGF in the country.

He had also participated in previous Nigeria-led Chadian reconciliation talks (Kano I & II as well as Lagos I & II).

(NAN)