By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu on Sunday received the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The chancellor, who is on a two-day visit to Nigeria, is said to have been accompanied by a delegation of high-ranking German business people including Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of some of the highest-valued companies in the country as well as by a cultural delegation.
The two leaders are expected to explore ways of fortifying the bilateral relations between the two countries.
This is the third major visit of Chancellor Scholz to Africa and his first visit to Nigeria since the inauguration of President Tinubu’s administration on May 29, 2023.
Both leaders met at the 18th G20 Summit in India where the German helmsman told Tinubu, “We acknowledge the business-friendly reforms you have put in place. I am happy to inform you of my desire to visit you in Nigeria in October, which will allow us to carry forward these initiatives”.
He is the second European leader to visit the West African state since the Russia-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.
Sunday’s meeting continues over six decades of diplomatic relations between the two countries, sustained by high-level visits dating back to 1978 when then-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt visited Nigeria.
Scholz will declare open a Nigeria-German Business Conference organised by the Nigerian-German Chamber of Commerce in Lagos on Monday.
