- President Muhammadu Buhari has said that many Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states are grappling with serious security problems, including terrorism, violent extremism and armed criminality.
The president stated this when he read the collective statement of African countries at the 14th Summit of the OIC in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
In the statement read on Saturday, Mr Buhari said the situation had been compounded by a series of political crises in the affected countries.
The Nigerian leader said some of these challenges had assumed grave dimensions in recent times and required serious and coordinated approach for lasting solutions.
The president, however, noted that African members of the OIC were pleased with renewed efforts by the OIC for the restoration of the national rights of the Palestinians and other long-standing unresolved conflicts.
‘‘In this regard, we support the actions of the OIC in seeking an early resolution to the lingering Palestinian question and the rights of the Palestinian people to an independent homeland.
‘‘We equally subscribe to the various actions of the OIC in resolving the crises in Syria, Yemen and Libya,’’ he added.
Mr Buhari commended the OIC’s engagement with other international actors in addressing the various political conflicts in the OIC region and the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.
He said: ‘‘In addition to the core issue of the restoration of the national rights of the Palestinians and other long-standing unresolved conflicts, we now grapple with serious security problems, represented by the destructive activities of terrorists, violent extremists and armed criminals in many of OIC Member States.
‘‘This situation has also been compounded by a series of political crises, which continue to affect a number of our countries.’’
Mr Buhari commended the interventions of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in key sectors such as agriculture, trade and investment.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the OIC institutions in the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis arising from the insurgency but urged them to do more.
The president also commended OIC institutions for supporting development projects aimed at achieving rapid socio-economic development in Nigeria.
He highlighted the Inter-Water Basic transfer, aimed at recharging the Lake Chad, the National Food Security Programme, the Second Niger Bridge, various roads and school rehabilitation projects as some projects in Nigeria that had attracted the support of OIC institutions.
The Nigerian leader also used the occasion to express confidence that the ongoing political transition in Sudan and Algeria would be concluded smoothly and peacefully.
He thanked Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud for hosting and chairing the 14th OIC Summit and the Turkish President, Recep Erdogan, whose tenure just ended.
Mr Buhari saluted Mr Erdogan’s commitment to the ideals of the organisation and his efforts in ensuring that “the OIC achieves its set goals and objectives, throughout his tenure as Chairman.”
