President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the interest and welfare of the citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger remain a top priority for leaders of ECOWAS, assuring that wisdom and diplomacy would make the difference in reintegrating the countries into the commission.
Receiving the President of Germany, Frank–Walter Steinmeier, during a state visit at the Presidential Villa Abuja Wednesday, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, said the leadership of the three countries had been reluctant in bringing out transition programmes with clear dates.
“Our relationship of mutual respect will continue as we reappraise the situation in the three countries. What I can assure is that we will not give tolerance to unconstitutional government.
“We will continue to lead by example. We have innocent citizens who are victims of the military. We will continue to explore diplomatic channels to navigate without punishing the innocent people.
“We will continue to allow free movement and trade. Though the transition programme is not sure or certain, we will not punish the innocent citizens; they are not in possession of power,” he said.
President Tinubu told the German leader that the regional body would leave the door open for the return of democracy in the countries.
“This is what ECOWAS will stand for. Whatever is happening in the countries, we are mindful of the wellbeing of the citizens. I don’t want to personalise issues as ECOWAS Chairman. We will leave the door for collaboration,” the president said.
In his response, the German President said the re-integration of the three countries will have significant impact on the economy and security of the West Coast.
“We will talk bilateral and regional issues. We just had a meeting with the President of ECOWAS Commission. We know how important it is to have regional cooperation. We are part of the European Union.
“For Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, there are serious security and economic consequences for not carrying on together. We understand why ECOWAS security members are insisting on diplomacy.
“It is not easy but you will need to use your diplomacy to keep the commission and the region together.
“While you are using diplomatic means to bring Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to rethink their position, you should have emergency plans in place for future economic cooperation,” the German leader said.
… Energy, solid minerals as Nigeria’s top priority
Also at a business session, President Tinubu assured the German government and businessmen of Nigeria’s preparedness to expand frontiers for investors by removing administrative bottlenecks in the energy and solid minerals sectors.
He said activation of the latent potentials in the energy sector remains central to Nigeria’s development.
“I welcome Mr President to Nigeria and the State House. Your visit is a significant milestone. And I must thank you for the warm reception when I visited Germany.
“We need each other, and you emphasized this in our private discussion. Nigeria is going through a transformative period and trying to align with the best strategy and practices on good governance globally.
“We like our relationship with you as friends and partners. Germany is well-industrialised and renowned for its sustainable infrastructure.
“I am saying again that Nigeria is ready and open for business. As you mentioned, you are ready to support Nigeria in the energy sector, which you have long been doing. Also, in alternative energy, we have the sun, and you have the technology. We should continue our partnership in every way that we can.”
President Tinubu said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Solid Minerals, Ministry of Power and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment have been directed to work closely with investors to develop the energy sector.
“I will re-emphasise again and again we must enhance the possibility of becoming highly industrialised by exploring opportunities in our natural resources,” he said.
The president said the country’s reforms had been designed to bring long-term prosperity through sustainable and dependable frameworks.
“We are synchronising to ensure a grounded and flourishing partnership that brings prosperity to our people. We know that Germany has the capacity and is involved in regional cooperation and collaboration.
“We are glad that we are trading in Euro with you. We are more transformative than before. We have made changes in the way we do business. It is now easy in and easy out for investors. We are projecting investment in gas and alternative energy.
“Our transformation involves natural gas. We are leveraging solid minerals, particularly lithium. We have a dynamic, anxious-to-learn and flexible youth population.
“We have many Nigerian students who were trained in Germany. We want domestic investment that will promote growth in our economy. Equally, we need skill development,” the president said.
He said Small and Medium Enterprises were also being repositioned to play a more central role in development, assuring that bottlenecks to investments had been removed.
…German leader
In his remarks, the German President assured President Tinubu that there were also more specialised companies in Germany that would be encouraged to look towards Nigeria for expansion opportunities beyond the big brands in the energy sectors.
“There is a growing interest in Nigeria on the German side beyond those who are already here, like Siemens. Other companies are looking for investment opportunities, especially in renewable energy,” he said.
