President Bola Tinubu has met with Prime Minister, Mark Rutte of Netherlands, where he detailed out a roadmap for enhanced trade opportunities for both countries.

At the meeting, Mr Tinubu said that Nigeria was well-positioned to power the clean energy future of Europe and the world with its high-grade lithium deposits.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said Mr Tinubu met with the Prime Minister at his official residence, known as The Catshuis in The Hague, on Thursday.

The President said Nigeria offers immense opportunities across a pool of sectors and that his administration would deepen reforms to enhance the investment climate.

He said Nigeria seeks robust, balanced, and mutually beneficial partnerships that would bring about value-addition in areas like solid minerals.

“Taking a holistic view of the world order, there is a tremendous opportunity between us across trade spheres but especially in solid minerals, where we have high-grade lithium deposits that we know can power the clean energy future of the world.

“There is excellent value-additive opportunity in Nigeria. The world knows us for oil. They will soon know us for greater innovative exploits in other areas,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria has an extremely dynamic youth population, adding that it is a young country with 70% of its people under the age of 30, representing both a massive workforce and a massive market for Dutch and other international investors.

“If our young people know they can achieve a good future in Nigeria, they will stay home and build our nation to greatness.

“Lawful migration of trained Nigerian minds and hands will be a benefit to Europe, and irregular migration will no longer be a source of fear in Europe if we partner effectively,” he said.

Mr Tinubu explained that the provision of the student loans and new credit opportunities was to enhance the skills of Nigerians and ensure that they can access a higher quality of life within their legitimate incomes.

Mr Tinubu said that the personal confidence of Nigerians in their country gave him the courage to take difficult decisions on their behalf in order to achieve long term success.

“We have gone through the worst of the storms. I am unafraid of the consequences once I know that my actions are in the best long-term interests of all Nigerians.

“The Nigerian Naira is one of the world’s best performing currencies today. We took the necessary risk, and all resilient Nigerians kept faith with us.

“They will be rewarded, and the reward will only be greater as we partner effectively with you on new opportunities for development.

“As leaders, we must take decisions for the benefit of our nations, and we cannot shy away from that,” the President said.

Mr Tinubu expressed his firm commitment to improve the developmental partnership between the European Union and Nigeria.

He said that a symbiotic economic ties remains the best long-term path to sustainable and mutual prosperity rather than one-sided relationships in which bilateral trade was skewed too much in one direction.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands said that Mr Tinubu’s economic reforms have engendered greater confidence in the Nigerian economy by international investors.

He added that Dutch investors have activated another set of 250 million dollars worth of new investments over the next few months, including a 100 million dollars investment in a waste-to-wealth industrial facility in Lagos State.

“You are promoting democratic governance and the solutions it can bring in dealing with problems of development.

“I saw how you went through democratic channels to remove an incumbent president in 2015 in partnership with President Buhari and how that has led to development in your country.

“I saw you take the courageous decision to deal with fuel subsidies and other reforms, and we are interested in what allowed you to take the decisions that many before you could not take.

“And you took those decisions early in your term. It shows rare determination. And your stand in ECOWAS, all of these point to your commitment in leadership,” the Prime Minister said. 

(NAN)