French President, Francois HollandePresident Francois Hollande of France of has told President Muhammadu Buhari in New York, the United States of America that his country believes in Nigeria and is planning to bring a lot of investment soon.
“We will invest in Nigeria, we believe in her,” President Hollande said when he had a bilateral meeting with President Buhari on the sidelines of the ongoing 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Hollande pledged that France would not only fully engage with Nigeria on different fronts, but would also provide humanitarian assistance in the North East. This was even as President Buhari commended the cordial diplomatic relationship that has been existing between Nigeria and Franc.
“Apart from your country’s close relationship with us, you have maintainws the same with most of our neighbours. We seek more collaboration, particularly in agriculture, mining and security.”
President Buhari told his French counterpart of the Presidential Committee on the North East, which he described as a one-stop mechanism on development partnership for a zone that has been ravaged for many years by Boko Haram insurgents, and which needed urgent rebuilding.
At another audience with President Johann Schneider-Ammann of Switzerland, President Buhari sought his counterpart’s cooperation on speedy repatriation of Nigerian money stashed in that country, stressing that Nigeria needed such resources, particularly for infrastructure.
With the two countries having agreed on projects to which the restituted funds would be deployed, President Schneider-Ammann promised quick action, as soon as the draft agreement was signed. He also pledged consolidation of mutual trade relationships, infrastructural development as well as support in training and equipping of the Nigerian military. [myad]
