President Goodluck Jonathan will travel to Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire on Friday for an Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government ahead of the full deployment of the community’s troops to Mali.
A statement by Presidential spokesman , Reuben Abati said Jonathan will be accompanied to the meeting by the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada and the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim.
The meeting is also expected to discuss the situation in Guinea-Bissau. President Jonathan is due back in Abuja on Saturday.
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Already Nigeria has announced the deployment of about 200 soldiers.A technical team has arrivedMali much earlier.Other ECOWAS countries like Senegal ,Niger and Burkina Faso have pledged troops.
Chad is reported to have also pledged troops .