President Bola Tinubu yesterday said his administration was determined to change the narrative about a weak and crawling economy by bringing about transformation in governance.
He gave the assurance during bilateral political talks with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, and his entourage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President on the occasion, called for improved cooperation in security, natural resources, education, and democracy, among others, with the government of Germany.
Tinubu, said the affirmation of his election by the Supreme Court last week Thursday, had removed distractions from his focus on moving the country forward, however, welcomed the German government for more cooperation in multiple areas.
According to him;
Nigeria is still crawling, but we are determined to change the narrative and bring about a transformative government in the country
He informed his guest that he had come to the country at a time the nation’s apex court rested the lingering challenge to his election, thanking the German leader for fulfilling his promise to visit Nigeria.
Thanking the German leader for fulfilling his promise to visit Nigeria, Tinubu noted that the largest economy in Africa was ready to partner with Germany, which occupies the same position in Europe.
However, he acknowledged that while Germany had advanced in clean energy, Nigeria was still crawling, pledging his administration’s determination to change the narrative.
Our economic team and members of the group are all here ready to partner with you, with Germany as the largest economy in Europe. And the largest economy in Africa is Nigeria, you know that
We are blessed with a good environment, time of weather and blessed in terms of mineral resources. Our hydrocarbon industry is still fledging environmentally while we are moving towards the transition energy source
Tinubu also stated that;
I know Germany has advanced a lot in protecting the environment and modernising energy to meet the 21t century needs both of the world and Europe in particular. Nigeria is still crawling, but we are determined to change the narrative and bring about a transformative government in the country
Although Nigeria is still fighting terrorism, it needs Germany’s help to stabilise internal security and protect its democracy from detractors, Tinubu appealed.
He explained;
We’re fighting terrorism and that is improving. We still need very much support in that area. And for us to be able to sustain democracy, the rule of law and freedom for our people, we need to fight for democracy
And democracy must win at all times for us to meet the expectation of an African dream. That is why your visit this time around is more than necessary and welcome
The President drew Scholz’s attention to the coup in Niger Republic, saying the ECOWAS is “diplomatically managing the situation.”
Tinubu acknowledged past contributions by the German government in security and highlighted Nigeria’s need for more such collaboration.
He observed;
The need for you to help in that of security will be emphasised, and we will continue to require your knowledge. We thank you for your past contributions, particularly police law enforcement training. We need more help
At the government-to-business roundtable, the Nigerian leader argued that while foreign investors are quick to shy away from challenging terrains, his government is working to reform business laws in a way that minimises friction and delays.
He reasoned;
Investment is cowardly, it doesn’t like delays and conflicts, it will run away, we understand that. Equally, time management to promote efficiency and smooth operation under the rule of law is crucially important
We are reforming our economic and business environment to promote efficiency… I’ve made a commitment to you that we’ll promote efficiency and ease of doing business and remove all conflict areas immediately.
You might have read or been aware that we have removed oil subsidy; we’re going through tax reforms to eliminate double taxation and give you better returns on investments. There are principles that will ensure your investments grow well and are protected
In his remarks, the German leader stressed his country’s commitment to Nigeria’s security and upholding its democracy and the rule of law.
Scholz argued that Nigeria’s extractive industry must benefit the home nation as it does the recipient economies in Europe and other parts of the world.
He said;
It is also important that we use the way of developing your economy in the fields of the minerals you have. I think that the investments into this structure must be easy, but also benefitting for your country
It is something that bothered me a lot in the past that sometimes it was just about extraction, which is not enough. There should be one bit more for making it feasible that some parts of the economic development can be used in the countries of origin
This is not the case today in our world, but if we change this a little bit, it will change a lot and working in this field is also important for us
Sunday’s visit is Scholz’s first to Nigeria since assuming office in December 2021.
It also began his two-day working visit, where he is scheduled to meet business leaders in Lagos today (Monday).
He is the second European leader to visit the West African state since the Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2022.
On September 7, 2022, Polish President Andrzej Duda met former President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, expressing his country’s desire to increase energy imports from Nigeria.
The Russo-Ukrainian conflict has rekindled Europe’s interest in Africa’s energy market as EU nations seek alternatives to sanctioned Russian supply.
