Having searched the Chatham House website thoroughly, our platform, BDB, can say without more, that General Muhammadu Buhari has no business with the Chatham House between now and early March contrary to Gen. Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu statement that the Gen has been scheduled to give a talk at the House.
We reproduce below the Chatham House’s Time Table from now till March 2 showing all its events during this period, none of the events has Gen. Buhari in mind for any programme either as a keynote speaker, ordinary speaker or guest. See http://www.chathamhouse.org/events
Garba Shehu on behalf of Gen Buhari had issued a statement that:
‘The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday left Abuja on a short working visit to the United Kingdom. In the course of this visit, General Buhari is expected to hold meetings with key members of the British political establishment and interact with some global institutions with stakeholder interest in the affairs of Nigeria. General Buhari would hopefully give a talk at the prestigious foreign policy hub, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatam House in London.’
Another platform, Ourexclusive.com, also reports that they called the contact phone number on Chatham House website to inquire about the attendance of Gen. Buhari, and was categorically told ‘he is not expected’ by a female voice who answered the call.
According to Ourexclusive.com, they later sent an e-mail to Chatham House Head of Conferences; Alison Archer who promised to get them the log of their expected guests, but who however confirmed that ‘no Buhari from Nigeria is expected’.
Investigation one the website further showed that the last time Buhari was a guest was in June, 2011 after the presidential poll, when he and his then running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare went to discuss ‘Nigeria’s 2011 Elections: Reflections on the process and prospects for Nigeria’.
EVENTS
Conference
Security and Defence
23 Feb 2015 – 09:00 to 24 Feb 2015 – 13:30
Chatham House, London
24 Feb
Members
Responding to Foreign Affairs and Security Challenges in the EU’s Neighbourhood
Chatham House, London
Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; Vice-President of the European Commission
25 Feb
Research Event
The Rohingya in Southeast Asia: Where To From Here?
Chatham House, London
25 Feb
Research Event
Refuge from Inhumanity? War Refugees at the Intersection of IHL and Refugee Law
Chatham House, London
26 Feb
Research Event
African Peace and Security: Enhancing the Role of Women
Chatham House, London
Mme Bineta Diop, Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, African Union
26 Feb
Research Event
The Prospects for Peace in Myanmar
Chatham House, London
Charles Petrie OBE, Head, Myanmar Peace Support Initiative
26 Feb
Research Event
Equatorial Guinea: Development, Growth and Governance
Chatham House, London
Hon César Mba Abogo, Secretary of State for Planning and Development, Republic of Equatorial Guinea
26 Feb
Members, Research Event
Russia Under Putin and Beyond: The Annual Russia Lecture
Chatham House, London
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Founder, Open Russia
27 Feb
Invitation Only, Research Event
Russian Security: Facing a 21st Century of Instability
Chatham House, London
02 Mar
Members
Digital Jihad: How Online Networks are Changing Extremism
Chatham House, London
Shiraz Maher, Senior Research Fellow and Head of Outreach, The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization, King’s College London