Toni Iwobi of Nigerian origin and living in Italy for 41 years has become the first African ever to be elected senator in the country.On the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York, Thursday, he met with President Buhari along with a high-powered team from the Italian Senate.

“My congratulations to you, and to Italy more,” President Buhari told Iwobi, who was elected in March this year, on the platform of the far right League Party. “It shows the advanced respect of Italians for human beings, in spite of colour. It’s very impressive.”

The team from Italy discussed issues like illegal migration and how it can be curbed through investments in Africa, recharge of the Lake Chad via inter-basin water transfer, among others. “Africa doesn’t need charity, but collaboration to develop,” Iwobi said.

Responding, President Buhari noted that what causes irregular migration from developing to developed countries include lack of security, education, health care, among others, stressing, “Climate change has had negative impact on Nigeria.”

President Buhari has welcomed ¬the pledge by the Organization of Islami¬c Cooperation (OIC) to help Nigeria tack¬le the Boko Haram insurgency through sou¬nd education among others. During a bilateral meeting on Thursday, wit¬h OIC Secretary-General, Youssef Ahme¬d Al-Othaimeen, on the margins of the 73rd¬ UN General Assembly in New York, the Pr¬esident also underscored the importance of education in purging the mind of wron¬g indoctrination, particularly on religi¬on.

The OIC scribe had told the Nigerian Pre¬sident that his organisation had passed a resolution committing member states to¬ support Nigeria in combating extremism. He said that the body was ready to use i¬ts facilities and institutions to correc¬t the wrong narrative that the Boko Hara¬m insurgency was about Islam. Al-Othaimeen, who noted that developm¬ent was essential to addressing extremis¬m, also pledged assistance for Nigeria i¬n that respect.
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