By Gabriel Atumeyi
President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, hosted Mohammed Younis Menfi, Chairman, Presidential Council of Libya, stressing that a stable or unstable Libya has implications for countries in the Lake Chad Basin area, including Nigeria.
“Republics of Chad, and Niger, have extensive borders with Libya, and they are our immediate neighbours. Whatever affects them affects us. The stability or instability of Libya will directly affect us,” President Buhari said.
He stressed that security of Nigeria was number one priority to him, noting that “unless a country or institution is secured, there’s no way you can efficiently manage it.”
President Buhari said he was happy that the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya could personally attend the Summit of Lake Chad Basin Commission held in Abuja on Tuesday, to discuss the situation in Chad, and the implications for security in neighbouring countries.
Mohammed Younis Menfi said Libya was fast evolving, “and we now have one government, active on the ground. We are expelling the mercenaries, and unifying the instructions.”
He said democratic elections would be held in due course, adding that the historical relationship between his country and Nigeria in the areas of oil and agriculture meant that one country could not ignore the other.
“We aspire for joint cooperation, and reactivation of previous agreements,” Chairman Menfi said.
Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed.
The country was in recent years split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.
One the one hand, the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord and on the other hand, the forces of General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
Libya has become the gateway of the dangerous Mediterranean route to Europe and pandora box of insecurity in sub – saharan Africa, with Nigeria being one of the hardest hit countries.