Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will hold bilateral talks with Nigerian leaders besides attending the inauguration of President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday.
Mudavadi arrived in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday afternoon for a three-day official visit.
Tinubu will be sworn in after winning the hotly contested presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Tinubu of All Peoples Congress (APC) garnered 8,794,726 votes while Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) came in second with 6,984,520 votes.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party was third with 6,101,533 votes.
A statement from Kibisu Kabatesi, Secretary, of Government Strategic Communications, said Mudavadi is expected to utilise the opportunity between celebratory banquets and gala dinners to squeeze in bilateral talks on the sidelines.
He said Mudavadi will engage his Nigerian counterparts in discussions on pending instruments for various bilateral agreements, especially on trade.
“Another area of interest is shared diplomacy of conflict management. Kenya is deeply ingrained in seeking solutions to conflicts in the EAC and IGAD countries while Nigeria keeps watch on the volatile western rim of Africa,” he said.
While Nigeria has to contend with internal and regional terror wrought by the Islamist Boko Haram, Kenya is faced with the same problems occasioned by al shabaab terror group.
Nigeria is battling the insurgency within and also sending troops to help ECOWAS counties contain the insurrection.
“Kenya, on the other hand, has had to secure itself from Al Queida by sending troops to create a buffer zone in Somalia, apart from contributing heavily to the EAC Standing Force to pacify eastern DRC,” Kabatesi added.
While Nigeria is Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy, trade with Kenya is low.