The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) on Tuesday rechristened Abuja Expressway in honour of the outgoing president of the Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou.

Buhari took to his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday evening to share his admiration of Issoufou who has been the Nigerien president since 2011.

The winner of the 2020 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership was hosted by his Nigerian counterpart at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Speaking on Wednesday, Buhari said, “Yesterday I hosted President @IssoufouMhm at the State House. I congratulated him on the successful completion of his second term as President of our sister country, the Republic of Niger, and the good people of Niger for the successful conduct of a free, fair & credible election.

“I also congratulated him for winning the 2020 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. President Issoufou is a worthy African leader who has earned the respect and affection of his people at home and his brethren across the border in Nigeria.”

Acknowledging the honour in his name, the Nigerien President tweeted, “My brother and friend, @MBuhari, did me the honour to call an Abuja expressway ‘Mahamadou Issoufou Expressway’. This testifies, beyond our personal relations, to the excellent relations that exist between #Nigeria and Niger. His caring touches me. I thank him very much.”