President Muhammadu Buhari beckoned on Qatar to invest in Nigeria.
He also solicited for help with the receding Lake Chad where he said that out of 30 million people affected by the water shrinkage, more than half were Nigerians.
Speaking during his meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-thani, at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday, Buhari pointed the visiting Emir to the Petroleum, Power, Aviation and railway sectors among others as areas of investment.
A statement signed the President’s media aide, Femi Adesina disclosed said, “investments in sectors like petroleum, power, aviation, agriculture, railways, and many others, featured prominently as President Muhammadu Buhari hosted the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-thani, at State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.
“Also on the front burners was the recharge of Lake Chad with water from the Congo Basin, so as to grant succour to the more than 30 million people adversely affected by the shrinkage of the lake over the years.
“We invite you to invest in our refineries, pipelines, power sector, aviation, agriculture, education, and many others, so that you can have your management here to oversee the investment. We need your expertise.”
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“We need help with the recharge of Lake Chad, as it is not a project that the concerned countries can handle alone.
“Recharging the lake will bring back fishing, farming, animal husbandry, and the youths won’t be attracted by insurgency or illegal migration. We want Qatar to be involved because of the humanitarian nature of the endeavour.”
Buhari pointed out that the problem of Lake Chad had contributed greatly to illegal migration, as innumerable youths dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, in order to find safer shores in Europe, adding that a large number die in the process.
Sheikh Hamad Al-thani said he was honoured and happy to be in Nigeria for the first time, stressing it was a reciprocal visit to the one paid to Qatar in 2016 by President Buhari.
“The relationship between our countries is very good. We just have to build on it,” the emir said. “We share a lot of similarities in different areas. We need to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation. We are willing to do a lot more with Nigeria, and will continue to work on investment opportunities of mutual benefit,” he added.
