President Bola Tinubu affirmed his commitment to making tough choices for the Nigerian populace, despite the immediate challenges they may pose.
Addressing Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands during a meeting in The Hague on Thursday, April 25, Tinubu expressed confidence in the resilience of Nigeria, stating that while storms had been weathered, he remained undeterred by the potential ramifications of his decisions as they served the greater good in the long run.
Highlighting Nigeria’s substantial trade prospects across various sectors for the Netherlands, Tinubu, who convened with Rutte at The Catshuis, emphasized ongoing reforms aimed at bolstering the investment climate. He also underscored Nigeria’s potential to contribute significantly to Europe and the global clean energy landscape through its rich lithium deposits.
Tinubu reiterated his unwavering belief in the Nigerian people and their abilities, citing this confidence as the driving force behind his willingness to make tough calls on their behalf. He emphasized the necessity of equipping Nigerians with the tools required for long-term success.
“I am a determined leader of my people. I have and will continue to take the difficult decisions that will benefit our people, even if there is short-term pain. 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.
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.”
The President also added that Nigeria boasts of a highly energetic and self-motivated youth population.
“We have an extremely dynamic youth population in Nigeria. It is a young country. Seventy per cent of our people are under the age of 30, and when we are referring to 200 million plus citizens, it represents 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.
This is what we want and it is why we are adamant about providing student loans and new credit opportunities to not only enhance the skills of our people but also to ensure that they can access a higher quality of life within their legitimate incomes. We will transform our economy, and our young people will be the reason why.” the President said
On the state of the nation’s currency, Tinubu said
“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.” he said
He expressed his firm commitment to developing the developmental partnership between the European Union (EU) and Nigeria, stating that symbiotic economic ties remain the best long-term path to sustainable and mutual prosperity rather than one-sided relationships in which bilateral trade is skewed too much in one direction.
