President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met with the Prime Minister of Netherlands, Mark Rutte, at The Hague, in the course of his official visit to the country.
The two leaders discussed issues related to the fight against insurgency in the North-East, climate change, particularly the shrinkage of Lake Chad, economic cooperation, the fight against corruption, and a range of other issues of mutual interest.
The President highlighted the progress made in the fight against insurgency in the troubled region, while the Dutch Prime Minister pledged the support of his government to the anti-terrorism efforts in the North-East.
In this context, President Buhari raised the issue of the humanitarian situation in the region, as well as the receding of the Lake Chad and its impact on the economy of the communities in the area.
He stressed the need for workable solutions to restore the Lake Chad, including the inter-basin water transfer project from Ubangi River in Central Africa to the lake.
The President welcomed the interest of the Dutch Prime Minister in Lake Chad and his commitment to establishing a technical committee to work with Nigeria on the best approach to address the issue.
He also stated the firm commitment of his administration to recover more stolen funds and assets of his country stashed abroad and looked forward to working closely with the Netherlands on this.
Prime Minister Rutte, on his part, congratulated Nigeria on the enormous strides being recorded in its economy, including the nation’s rising profile on World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business.
He said the Netherlands is one of Nigeria’s biggest trading partners.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari and the Dutch Prime Minister agreed on the need for more collaboration to increase trade.
