President Bola Tinubu has said his administration is determined to change the weak narrative of the country’s economy and bring about a transformative government.
Tinubu made this known during a meeting with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Sunday.
The President described Nigeria as a crawling country in the committee of thriving economies, especially regarding development indices relating to green energy and the environment.
Commenting on the Supreme Court judgement, which affirmed his election as President, Tinubu said the needless distraction from his political opponents is over, and it is time to focus on governance and move the economy.
He said, “I know Germany has advanced a lot in protecting the environment and modernising energy to meet the 21st century needs both of the world and Europe in particular. Nigeria is still crawling, but we are determined to change the narrative and bring about a transformative government.
“It is a profound pleasure for me to welcome my friend Olaf Scholz to Nigeria. It is a joy to see you here at this particular period of time. It is just about a few days ago that the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had a final say on our electoral exercise.
“The distraction is over. This gives us more time to focus on governance for the people and moving Nigeria forward for economic opportunities and prosperity that will defend democracy.
“In our last tete-a-tete, you made a promise that you will be visiting Nigeria and thank you and your delegation for keeping that promise. It is an honour for me to see you here.”
Tinubu reminded Scholz that Nigeria was also the largest economy in Africa and open to their partnership in education, power, mineral resources and other opportunities.
The President also listed some of the challenges confronting the country and other parts of Africa.
He said, “Our hydrocarbon industry is still fledging environmentally while we are moving towards the transition energy source.
“You are very welcome with your delegation to partner with us in terms of education, power, mineral resources and all the other opportunities. We have gone a long way to bring about the security of our people.
“We’re fighting terrorism, and that is improving. We still need much support in that area. And for us to be able to sustain democracy, the rule of law and freedom for our people, we need to fight for democracy. Democracy must win at all times for us to meet the expectations of an African dream. That is why your visit this time around is more than necessary and welcome. I hope you will enjoy yourself.
“You will have noticed, that I don’t need to go about the various problems happening in the Sahel region of Africa. You’ve seen and noticed the coup in Guinea and recently in Niger Republic.
“We had people diplomatically managing the situation. The need for you to help in that of security will be emphasised, and we will continue to require your knowledge. We thank you for your past contributions, particularly the police, and law enforcement training. We need more help.”
The German Chancellor, Scholz, on his part, said Germany remains committed to democracy and the rule of law.
