President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday concluded a his official visit to the Netherlands, meeting with Nigerian Embassy staff, before departing for home.
At the meeting with the embassy staff and their families, the President thanked them for being worthy ambassadors.
While in the Netherlands, on Tuesday, July 17, 2018, President Buhari delivered the keynote address at the 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, where he canvassed support for ICC with jurisdiction over serious cases of corruption and illicit financial flows by state actors.
The president used the occasion of his speech at the Solemn Hearing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute of the ICC, to assure the international community of a free, fair and peaceful 2019 general elections in Nigeria.
The president also assured that under his watch the tragic incidents that characterized the 2011 general elections, necessitating preliminary investigations by the ICC, would not happen again in Nigeria.
President Buhari, accompanied by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru; the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, and other top government officials, toured the Port of Rotterdam and the Shell Refinery Pernis, Hoogvliet, a borough of Rotterdam, Netherlands.
He also met with Shell CEO and discussions focused on investments in deep water and gas projects in Nigeria.
At the Binnenhof on Monday, July 17, 2018, the President had met with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and the two leaders restated their commitment to growing trade partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands.
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During the talks, Rutte described Nigeria as the Netherlands’ most important trading partner, noting that in the field of modern agriculture there are opportunities for Dutch companies and knowledge institutes.
The two leaders also discussed issues related to the fight against insurgency in the North East, climate change, particularly the shrinkage of Lake Chad, economic cooperation, the fight against corruption and a range of other issues of mutual interest.
President Buhari welcomed the interest of the Dutch Prime Minister on Lake Chad and commitment to establish a technical committee to work with the Nigerian side on the best approach to address the issue of the receding Lake.
In pursuit of one of the cardinal themes of his administration, President Buhari also met with over 20 Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Dutch-owned companies.
The president assured them of a secure Nigeria, where their investments would be safe, and yield handsome returns.
“Stability was the first thing in our campaigns. You have to secure a country first, before you can efficiently manage it. Before businesses can thrive, security is paramount. That is why we lay so much emphasis on securing the country.
“After security, our next emphasis is reviving the economy, and then, fighting corruption,” the President said.
He commended the many Dutch-owned companies operating in Nigeria for dealing fairly, noting that with many of them, “the relationship dates back more than two generations, and it is now almost a blood relationship rather than commercial.”
In the course of his three-day official visit, the president on Monday, July 16, 2018, met with members of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), the Netherlands Chapter.
He lauded them for their professional and intellectual achievements and contributions to the development of their motherland.
