The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) just back from Bamako, Mali has described the concluded mediation visit of President Muhammadu Buhari alongside other African leaders as a vista of hope to end crisis in the country.
Defence Minister Magashi who was embedded in the presidential team to Mali disclosed on arrival at the VIP Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport that peace is paramount in nation building, which he said, is a collective civic responsibility of the 20 million populated country.
He described the search for peace in Mali by African leaders in which President Muhammadu Buhari is playing a very crucial role as a needed boost to the efforts of the former President Goodluck Jonathan ECOWAS led mediation committee.
The Defence Minister, who said that the security situation in Bamako is under control, added that the trip to Mali by the Nigerian President has further strengthened Bilateral Cooperation among the two countries and that the visit has further confirmed the leadership role of the country in Africa as well as in promoting global peace.
On his part, the Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubair Dada expressed optimism that the embattled Sahel country needs the strong political will of Nigeria to end the crisis which the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari has brought to the African leaders mediation table.
The visit of President Muhammadu to the Republic of Mali is no doubt a bold step by the Nigerian leader to reiterate Nigerias leadership position in the affairs of ECOWAS.
