President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has restated his administration’s commitment to pushing forward with difficult but necessary economic reforms, affirming that these policies are key to creating a more sustainable, investor-friendly environment in Nigeria.
Receiving Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, a special envoy of the Amir of Qatar, at the State House in Abuja on Friday, Tinubu acknowledged the hardship Nigerians have endured due to his government’s reform agenda but defended the long-term benefits.
“We are making efforts to reform our tax system. Going by the experiences of the past and the need to depart from old ways, our reforms have been hard,” Tinubu said, according to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman.
“I made tough decisions so that we could grow. We are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Tinubu said the current focus is on attracting foreign investment by improving fiscal policies and removing long-standing bureaucratic bottlenecks that have historically discouraged international partners.
“You can’t find a better partner than Nigeria,” the President told the Qatari delegation. “You have to do more in Nigeria to help fight poverty in the humanitarian area. You have done well in developing a knowledge-based economy in Qatar, but what about Nigeria?”
The President reaffirmed his intention to build on the momentum of his 2024 state visit to Qatar, instructing senior cabinet members to expedite the execution of all bilateral agreements signed during that trip. Those named include the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
“To all the members of the delegation, I want to say a big thank you for coming to Nigeria. We are grateful to God for what we have experienced as partners in progress. I am also glad that the Amir of Qatar greatly remembers the issues discussed during my visit last year,” Tinubu added.
He praised Qatar’s global contributions to peace and human development.
“I am proud of your efforts to bring peace and stability to the world. I see your efforts in human development, peace, and prosperity. Like you, we are sandwiched between the challenge of terrorism and helping our neighbours. We are conscious of who our friends are and those helping us to ameliorate the problems.”
Okay.ng reports that Dr. Al-Khulaifi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, delivered a message of goodwill on behalf of the Amir and said Qatar sees Nigeria as a strategic partner in Africa.
“We are proud of the level of relations we have reached with Nigeria. I am very impressed with our partnership with the country, which is not just government-to-government but also people-to-people,” Al-Khulaifi said.
He announced that a high-level Qatari business delegation would soon visit Nigeria to explore partnerships in agriculture, food security, and petrochemicals.
“We have much to do together in agriculture, food, and petrochemicals. We have some companies telling us that we should create a way for them to come into Nigeria,” he said.
“The message I have from His Highness, Amir of Qatar, is that he wants Nigeria to be a strategic partner in Africa.”
Al-Khulaifi, who also oversees Qatar’s mediation efforts in Africa and the Middle East, emphasized the country’s interest in expanding economic and humanitarian collaboration with Nigeria.
