President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday pledged that he and other members of the African Union High-Level Consultative Committee on South Sudan would ensure that the peace agreement signed by the various political factions in the country is successfully implemented.

Receiving South Sudan’s first vice president, Riek

​Machar​, in Abuja, Mr. Buhari assured him that Nigeria and the committee would work with all stakeholders to overcome problems hindering the implementation of the seven-month old agreement.

“The situation must not deteriorate”, the ​p​resident told the First Vice President who is a signatory to the peace agreement.

Expressing concern that compliance with the agreed ceasefire in South Sudan has not been total, Mr. Buhari said Nigeria would work in collaboration with other members of the African Union to achieve a speedy stabilisation of the situation.

The president advised leaders of South Sudan not to allow ethnicity and corruption to gain a foothold in the new country.

“Ethnicity and corruption are a lethal combination. You have to deal with them otherwise instability will continue,” Mr. Buhari warned after receiving a briefing from Mr. Machar on the current state of affairs in South Sudan.

Also Thursday in Abuja, the president received a special envoy of the African Union chairman, Idris Deby.

The special envoy, Abubakar Chahaimi delivered Mr. Deby’s message to President Buhari on the strengthening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and Chad, as well as the work of the African Union Consultative Committee on South Sudan.