Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday represented President Bola Tinubu at the swearing-in of Brice Nguema as President of Gabon.
The inauguration, held at the Stade de l’Amitié sino-gabonaise in Libreville, featured military parades, a march-past, and vibrant displays of Gabonese cultural heritage.
Shettima was accompanied by Hon Usman Bello Kumo, Chair of the House Committee on Police Affairs, and Aliyu Modibbo, Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President).
Other African leaders in attendance included Presidents Teodoro Nguema (Equatorial Guinea), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), John Mahama (Ghana), Faustin-Archange Touadéra (Central African Republic), Adama Barrow (The Gambia), Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone), Félix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), Bassirou Faye (Senegal), Mahamat Itno (Chad), Denis Nguesso (Republic of Congo), Ismaïl Guelleh (Djibouti), Umaro Embaló (Guinea-Bissau), and Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), among others.
In his address, President Nguema expressed gratitude to the Gabonese people for their support and vowed to prioritise national development, youth empowerment, and the resolution of key challenges such as insecurity and water scarcity.