President Bola Tinubu on Friday defended the economic reforms under his administration, saying the decisions were necessary to keep Nigeria on a path of sustainable growth.
He made this known while receiving a special envoy from the Amir of Qatar, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu explained that the ongoing efforts to simplify Nigeria’s tax structure have improved the ease of doing business for international investors.
“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.
I made tough decisions so that we could grow. We are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
“You can’t find a better partner than Nigeria. I always follow the global issues and your efforts. 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?”
He suggested that cooperation between Nigeria and Qatar could expand in areas such as food security and economic development.
Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s readiness to build on the progress made during his 2024 state visit to Qatar and committed to implementing all existing bilateral agreements.
He instructed the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, to work in unison to ensure the agreements are executed without delay.
“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.
Let me commend the brotherly relations between Qatar and Nigeria. The ambassador knows that I take Qatar very seriously. We are willing to go further in our bilateral relations,” he said.
Tinubu also commended the Qatari leadership for its commitment to promoting peace globally.
“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,” he said.
Dr. Al-Khulaifi, who serves as Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, delivered a message from the Amir expressing a desire to deepen cooperation with Nigeria. He revealed that a senior Qatari business team would soon visit Nigeria to assess opportunities in key sectors such as agriculture, food security, and petrochemicals.
He also relayed the Amir’s intention to enhance strategic relations with Nigeria, particularly in peace-building and economic sectors. He expressed satisfaction with the existing ties between both nations and looked forward to expanding collaboration at all levels.
“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.
Our ambassador has been following up with the projects. 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 was quoted as saying.
Al-Khulaifi, whose portfolio includes mediating peace efforts across Africa and the Middle East, added, “The message I have from His Highness, Amir of Qatar, is that he wants Nigeria to be a strategic partner in Africa.”
What you should know
Tinubu continues to push Nigeria as a top destination for foreign investment, focusing on economic reforms and international collaboration. Qatar’s growing interest in Nigeria signals deepening Gulf engagement in Africa, especially in sectors like agriculture and energy.President Bola Tinubu on Friday defended the economic reforms under his administration, saying the decisions were necessary to keep Nigeria on a path of sustainable growth. He made this known while receiving a special envoy from the Amir of Qatar, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu explained that the ongoing efforts to simplify Nigeria’s tax structure have improved the ease of doing business for international investors.
“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.
I made tough decisions so that we could grow. We are gradually seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
“You can’t find a better partner than Nigeria. I always follow the global issues and your efforts. 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?”
He suggested that cooperation between Nigeria and Qatar could expand in areas such as food security and economic development.
Tinubu expressed Nigeria’s readiness to build on the progress made during his 2024 state visit to Qatar and committed to implementing all existing bilateral agreements.
He instructed the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, to work in unison to ensure the agreements are executed without delay.
“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.
Let me commend the brotherly relations between Qatar and Nigeria. The ambassador knows that I take Qatar very seriously. We are willing to go further in our bilateral relations,” he said.
Tinubu also commended the Qatari leadership for its commitment to promoting peace globally.
“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,” he said.
Dr. Al-Khulaifi, who serves as Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, delivered a message from the Amir expressing a desire to deepen cooperation with Nigeria. He revealed that a senior Qatari business team would soon visit Nigeria to assess opportunities in key sectors such as agriculture, food security, and petrochemicals.
He also relayed the Amir’s intention to enhance strategic relations with Nigeria, particularly in peace-building and economic sectors. He expressed satisfaction with the existing ties between both nations and looked forward to expanding collaboration at all levels.
“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.
Our ambassador has been following up with the projects. 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 was quoted as saying.
Al-Khulaifi, whose portfolio includes mediating peace efforts across Africa and the Middle East, added, “The message I have from His Highness, Amir of Qatar, is that he wants Nigeria to be a strategic partner in Africa.”
What you should know
Tinubu continues to push Nigeria as a top destination for foreign investment, focusing on economic reforms and international collaboration. Qatar’s growing interest in Nigeria signals deepening Gulf engagement in Africa, especially in sectors like agriculture and energy.
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