The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to come before the G7 industrialized nations with a “wish list” when he shows up at its meeting scheduled for June 7-9 in Berlin, Germany.
Delivering this message to the new President at a meeting on Friday shortly after the inauguration, British Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond, said Cameron had requested for a list of what Nigeria wanted to help succeed against the current challenges facing the country.
“We are waiting for your own list,” said the minister on behalf of Cameron.
This meeting was a follow-up to an earlier one between the then President-elect and Prime Minister Cameron.
At the meeting, commitments were given to the incoming administration in several areas, including the fight against terrorism, power and energy and such matters of common concerns of migration challenges facing the continent as well what he called “intelligence fusion” to secure Africa from global terror.
He also raised the issue of “free trade” between the EU and Africa, a proposal he said enjoyed the support of several countries on the continent and in support of which he sought to enlist the backing of President Buhari.
Buhari in turn promised to prepare the government’s aspirations for the summit, which he said he will attend.
Han Changfu, the leader of the Chinese delegation, who is that country’s Minister of Agriculture, at a similar meeting asked President Buhari to open avenues for Chinese investments in Nigeria.
China promised to help Nigeria out in several areas, including agriculture, power, railways and other infrastructure.
The President of Congo Brazaville, Dennis Sassou Nguesso, was also among the several leaders who had audiences with the President after the inauguration on Friday.
The Congolese leader said he had been mandated by other leaders in Central Africa to seek a meeting with their counterparts in the ECOWAS with a view to tackling common challenges, especially the one posed by terrorism.
Nguesso also requested Buhari to assume his rightful place as the leader of Africa.
Buhari agreed that the meeting holds before the next African Union summit in South Africa as suggested.
The Somali President, Sheikh Hassan Mohamoud, asked for Nigeria’s help in its bid to conquer terror and establish control over the country’s territory.
Speaking while receiving Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, Buhari expressed his wish to work with him to fight terrorism in Africa and outside the continent.
The two leaders agreed to come to meet and exchange state visits to deepen the existing bilateral relationships.
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