Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after he joined other African leaders to witness the inauguration of Gabon President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

In a true show of support for Africa’s democracy, Senator Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu, arrived in Libreville, Gabon’s capital, on Saturday to attend the ceremony, where thousands of Gabonese citizens and other world leaders were also in attendance.

Oligui Nguema won the presidential election on April 12 with a landslide victory, securing 94.85% of the total votes cast, or 58,074 votes. He had served as Gabon’s interim leader since August 2023.

The inauguration ceremony, which was held at the Stade de l’Amitié sino-gabonaise in Libreville, Gabon, saw military parades, marchpast and a display of Gabon’s rich cultural heritage.

In his inauguration speech, the President of Gabon, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, thanked citizens of the country for their overwhelming support for him, leading to his emergence as a democratically elected President.

He pledged to work hard for the development of Gabon as well as empower the youth in order to secure the future of the nation.

President Nguema further promised to address the challenges of insecurity and criminality that are troubling the country, adding that the lack of an adequate water supply will also be tackled.

He recognised the role of the United Nations as he pledged to work with them, just as he called for peaceful coexistence amongst African nations.

Aside from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event, other heads of state present included President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic, Adama Barrow of The Gambia, Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, and Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno of Chad.

Others were Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau and Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, among many others.

Vice President Shettima, who was joined on the short trip by Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo and the Special Adviser to the President on General Duties, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, has since returned to Abuja.