President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at the weekend called on the French government to be more decisive in supporting war against terrorism, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-eastern part of Nigeria and neighbouring former French-colonies in West Africa.
Saraki during a two-hour bilateral meeting with the President of the French Senate, Senator Gerard Larcher during the on-going COP 21 Globe Parliamentary meeting in Paris, also urged France to strengthen the existing trade relations with Nigeria while also supporting the on-going efforts of the Buhari administration to rebuild the Nigerian economy and improve on the state of infrastructure.
A statement by Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity to the Senate President said that Dr. Saraki also canvassed French support for the completion of the Lake Chad Project aimed at battling environmental challenge in the region.
While commiserating with the French people on the recent terrorist attack in the country, the Nigerian Senate President urged French parliamentarians to push for more support for the Nigerian government towards resolving the Boko Haram crisis which he said poses grave danger to French strategic interests in West Africa.
He noted that France could intervene by sharing vital intelligence with Nigerian Defence authorities and providing manpower as well as material support so that the insurgents will be overwhelmed and defeated in a short time.
He also solicited for the help of France in assisting the over 2 million internally displaced people in North Eastern Nigeria adding that the country’s leaders are already thinking of how to properly resettle the people and rebuild the area after the end of the on-going military campaigns.
“If we do not start thinking about how to ensure that the people do not return to abject poverty and squalor which contributed to the festering of the hate campaigns by the Boko Haram members, then we will soon face another major crisis after ending the present one,” Saraki said
Saraki further called for the establishment of a Nigeria-French Forum whose aim is to address the issue of insecurity, trade and other areas of mutual interest. He called on France to support the passing onto law of the Petroleum Industry Bill which he and his colleagues are working on because it will help in improving Nigeria’s revenue base.
He said the current Senate which he leads is also focussing on review of laws that can ease doing business in Nigeria as a way of attracting foreign direct investments and urged French business men to support the on-going initiatives to re-energise the Nigerian economy.
On the Lake Chad project, Saraki said the region had a total of 25,000 square km in the 1960s but that has shrunk to below 1000 square km as at today. While calling for financial assistance on the project, he said the design and cost implications had been worked out. “We call on France to support this initiative,” he added.
Senator Larcher while welcoming his Nigerian counterpart expressed his happiness and described the visit by Saraki as the first by a Nigerian parliamentary leader in the history of French-Nigeria relationship.
He said France cannot but be interested in fostering the commercial/business relationship between France and Nigeria because Nigeria is one of the largest trading partners of France in Africa with trade volume of over $500bn annually.
He expressed support for the idea of a French-Nigeria friendship group suggested by Saraki and explained that France has the largest military engagement abroad in the world with thousands of soldiers and that some are in West Africa, particularly in Mali.
“Not until recently that Germany has agreed to send over 1000 soldiers to support France’s international military engagements, France has been overwhelmed but we can work on the possibility of a French-British alliance that will create a joint task force that will include personnel from both countries working together with local
troops,” Larcher said.
The French Senate President also expressed concerns about the activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria and said his country is worried about the change of strategy by the terror group from seeking territorial control to suicide bombings.
He expressed support for tightening of the relationship between Nigeria and France because in his view the stability of Africa largely depends on the state of Nigeria.
The French Senator said there may be need for the parliaments in both countries to create a legislative framework that will not only help to fight terrorism but also resettle those displaced as a result of terrorist invasion.
Larcher called on global concerted effort to fight terrorism in Nigeria through building strong institutions and supporting in the social aspects.
Saraki was accompanied on the visit by Senators Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Monsurat Sunmonu, Aliyu Abdullahi, Athan Nneji Achonu and Hon. Onuagbo Samuel, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change.
