Nigeria and Angola on Saturday agreed to cooperate and also reach out to
other oil producing countries in an effort to shore up the dwindling price
of oil in the global market.
This understanding was struck when Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and
his Angolan counterpart, Jose Eduardo dos Santos met at the sidelines of
the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
President Buhari, who agreed with President Eduardo dos Santos that there
was no logic in producing more oil for less money, called for a new
consensus among oil producing nations on the current level of oil price.
The two leaders while acknowledging that their countries depend heavily on
oil for sustaining their national economies, agreed to get their oil
ministers to meet urgently with a view to finding a way forward.
President Eduardo dos Santos had earlier thanked President Buhari for
sending a delegation to his country’s 40th Independence anniversary this
year. He also expressed sympathy with Nigeria on its security challenges,
noting however, that he believed that President Buhari is the right person
to restore peace to Nigeria given his military background.
He described Nigeria as a very important country in Africa that is
traditionally looked upon to help solve problems on the continent, adding
that his country and Nigeria which share similar security and oil
challenges in the Gulf of Guinea must forge closer relationship to
overcome the mutual problems.
President Eduardo dos Santos said he looked forward to meeting President
Buhari again and invited him to visit Angola next year with a view to
finding solutions to common problems and deepening bilateral relations.