President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived in Bavaria, Germany, clutching a
wish-list for consideration by leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations.
The summit of the top industrialised nations started yesterday.
Top on the President's list are Boko Haram and Nigeria's economic
cirisis.
The summit is due to discuss militant threats from groups, such as
Islamic State, with the leaders of Tunisia and Iraq, who, along with Nigeria,
form part of an “outreach” group of non-G7 countries invited to the Summit.
Attending the Summit are United States President Barack Obama, British
Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe, French President Francois Hollande, Canada's Prime
Ministers Stephen Harper and Italian Prime Ministers Matteo Renzi.
Buhari will hold bilateral talks with Merkel and Harper on the
sidelines of the Outreach Programme.
He is also expected to meet Obama, Hollande and Cameron in the course
of the Outreach Session and a working lunch at the Elmau Castle today.
“He is in a group of seven other Heads of State who were called in as
guests,” said presidential spokesman Garba Shehu.
“The international community is obviously acknowledging Nigeria's
significant role in global affairs, especially with the recent change in
government,” Shehu added.
Also invited are: President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), President Macky Sall (Senegal), President Beji Caid
Essebsi (Tunisia) and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (Ethiopia).
There are also Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi (Iraq); the
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon; the Secretary-General of
the OECD, Angel Gurria; the Managing Director of the IMF, Christine Largarde;
the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim; the Director-General of
the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Guy Rider; and the Chairperson of
the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Buhari arrived in Munich, Germany at about 3.25 p.m. local time
yesterday.
He was received by the Vice Minister-President of Bavaria, Mrs. Inge
Aigner. The president was accompanied by Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima,
former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, former Army Chief Gen.
Abdulrahman Dambazau and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paul B. Lolo.
Last night the head of the Bavarian regional government hosted Buhari
and the others to dinner.
Apart from Boko Haram and general insecurity, other issues on the wish
list, which Buhari took along after consultations with members of his
think-tank, include: economic reform, especially support on agriculture, SMEs
and job creation; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in power supply and mass
transit; electoral reforms ; collaboration on anti-corruption, including the
strengthening of anti-graft agencies, good governance, including commitment to
democracy, accountability and transparency; development assistance and peace in
the sub-region.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Certainly, Boko Haram
insurgency is one of the top issues on the wish-list of the President to the
session of G-7. It is one of the reasons why Governor Kashim Shettima, is on
the delegation to Germany.
“This will cover intelligence sharing on Boko Haram and ISIS on how to
curtail terrorism in the sub-region. We also need sophisticated surveillance
and preventive equipment to fight the scourge.
Buhari wants to put an end to arms and military hardware embargo on
Nigeria by some G-7 nations, especially the United States.
“There is no point pretending, terrorism is trying to have roots in the
sub-region and we need international collaboration to check the spread.”
The source added: “Without energy, no country can develop. So,
President Buhari is seeking Foreign Direct Investment in power supply, mass
transit and others to make life comfortable for Nigerians.
“The focus borders on the diversification of the nation's sources of
power supply. We are not tapping solar and wind energy. Most of our investments
in power are on hydro-electricity.
“Therefore, Nigeria needs the support of the World Bank for
interventions on SMEs and agriculture to promote mass job creation.”
Obama and Merkel held talks yesterday before the summit.
Russia is the target of European Union and US sanctions over its role
in support of Ukrainian rebels.
Russia has been excluded from what was previously known as the G8,
since the annexation of Crimea last year.
The West accuses Russia of sending military forces into eastern Ukraine
to help the rebels – a charge echoed by analysts. Moscow denies this, saying
any Russian soldiers there are volunteers.
As he arrived in the Bavarian Alps, Obama said G7 leaders would discuss
“standing up to Russian aggression” in Ukraine.
The White House issued a statement after Mr. Obama's talks with Mrs.
Merkel, saying: “The duration of sanctions should be clearly linked to Russia's
full implementation of the Minsk agreements and respect for Ukraine's
sovereignty.”
Germany, Britain and the US want an agreement to offer support to any
EU member state tempted to withdraw backing for the sanctions on Moscow, which
are hurting the Russian economy.
Last September's Minsk accord, involving Russia, pro-Russian rebels and
the Ukrainian government, included the establishment of a 30km (19-mile) buffer
zone between the two sides.
But fighting has intensified in recent weeks. In the latest incident,
two Ukrainian coastguards were injured when a blast ripped through their patrol
boat in the port of Mariupol, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The European Union's President of the Council of Ministers, Donald
Tusk, signaled a toughening of sanctions in a statement at the G7.
“If anyone wants to start a debate about changing the sanctions regime,
the discussion could only be about strengthening it.”
Cameron said he was hopeful that there would be a united front to
ensure that sanctions were “rolled over” despite admitting that “sanctions are
having an impact on all of us”.
EU sanctions are due to expire at the end of July.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond echoed concerns about wider Russian
military pressure in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
But, when asked if the US should redeploy intermediate-range nuclear
missiles in Europe, Mr Hammond said the West had a “delicate act to perform”.
“We've got to send a clear signal to Russia that we will not allow them
to transgress our red lines. At the same time we have to recognise that the
Russians do have a sense of being surrounded and under attack, and we don't
want to make unnecessary provocations.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia was not a
threat and had “other things to worry about”.
He told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “Only an insane
person and only in a dream can imagine that Russia would suddenly attack Nato.”
Mr Obama was greeted in the town of Kruen by Germany's Chancellor
Merkel.
The two leaders then sat down to a traditional Bavarian meal of
sausages and beer in the sunshine.
Greece's debt crisis and how to tackle global warming was also on the
agenda.
Ahead of the G7 gathering, thousands of protesters marched in the
nearby town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, sparking sporadic clashes with police.
Several marchers were taken to hospital with
injuries, but the violence was minor compared to some previous summits.
0 comments