President Muhammadu Buhari will begin a week-long official visit to Saudi
Arabia and Qatar tomorrow, Monday, February 22, 2016.
President Buhari, who will be accompanied by a high-powered Federal
Government delegation, including the Minister of State (Petroleum) and
Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
(NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, will first fly to Riyadyh for talks on Tuesday
with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and senior officials of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia.
Ongoing efforts by Nigeria and other members of the Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to achieve greater stability in the
price of crude oil exports are expected to be high on the agenda of
discussions between President Buhari and the Saudi Monarch.
Crude oil prices and market stability will also be on the front burner
when President Buhari goes on to Doha on Saturday for talks on Sunday with
the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
The President is also scheduled to meet with leading Saudi and Qatari
businessmen in Riyadh and Doha, and invite them to support his
administration’s efforts to revamp the Nigerian economy by taking
advantage of the great investment opportunities currently available in
Nigeria’s mining, agriculture, power supply, infrastructure,
transportation, communications and other sectors.
President Buhari’s other engagements in Saudi Arabia include meetings with
heads of international financial organisations and multilateral
associations.
Before going on to Doha, the President will also visit Medina and Mecca to
pray for greater peace, prosperity and progress in Nigeria.