***As France Tightens Security Over Terror Attacks

President Muhammadu Buhari left Malta and scheduled to arrive Paris, France later on Sunday evening to join about 150 other world leaders for the Conference of Parties 21 (COP21) which aims to get nations to agree on how to deal with the issue of climate change.

Even though governments have already committed themselves to limiting green house gas emissions that interfere with the climate, there is no agreement yet on practical actions to take.

This Paris meeting is therefore seen as the last chance to arrive at concrete binding resolutions over issues which have been discussed every year since 1992 under the auspices of the United Nations.

France authorities have in the meantime mounted right security to ensure the safety of the event following the deadly terrorist attacks that struck Paris recently.

Major roads leading in and out of the conference venue and hotels hosting world leaders have been shut down for unauthorized traffic and a ban on public demonstrations has been put place blocking environmental campaigners’ plans for a big march on Sunday in Paris to highlight the climate change issue.

President Buhari was expected to leave for Paris from Malta where he had participated in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

He will present Nigeria’s statement at the opening session on Monday before participating in the launching of the International Solar Alliance same day, an initiative of Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has invited around 110 nations to join the alliance.

The alliance is to be named the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application (InSPA) and is aimed at a host of African nations and others located between located between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

The President will thereafter attend a summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic which has been scheduled to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the COP21.

Deliberations at the Paris meeting of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic will focus mainly on the war against Boko Haram and other security issues of common interest to participating countries.

Also on Tuesday, the President has been scheduled to participate in another COP21 sideline event titled “the Conference on Climate Change and African Solutions” organized by the African Union (AU).

Participating with the President at the meetings will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.)

The conference will end on December 11.

-Frontiers News