By Lucy Adautin
Qatari authorities have denied the request of Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu to visit the country for a business and investment forum.
In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, the Qatari government revealed its inability to host Tinubu and facilitate the planned forum on March 2 and 3.
This was attributed to the absence of a legally binding agreement between Qatar and Nigeria to promote investment.
Additionally, Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce cited prior commitments on the dates requested by Mr. Tinubu for his visit.
“The Embassy has the honour to inform that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Qatar apologises that it will not be able to hold a Business and Investment Forum as proposed by Nigerian side” because “there is no any agreement signed between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Investment Promotion and Protection,” the letter sent to the foreign affairs ministry on February 22 stated.
Furthermore, the Gulf nation emphasized that its Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani “will be carrying out official missions outside the country during the upcoming visit period” which makes him unavailable to meet with the Nigerian leader.
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It added that its officials would be too busy because Qatar was hosting its own “web summit” the same time Tinubu planned to visit.
“The State of Qatar will be hosting a web summit during the suggested period and the state’s authorities will be preoccupied with this event,” the letter indicated.
The Qatari government’s reluctance to reschedule the business forum to a more suitable time may indicate a lack of interest in establishing economic ties with Nigeria.
In a similar vein, last year, authorities in the United Arab Emirates disputed an announcement claiming the lifting of visa bans on Nigerians following Tinubu’s meeting with UAE leader Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
