President Muhammadu Buhari visited Spain on Wednesday, where he met the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, King of Spain, His Majesty, King Filipe VI, and gave a speech at the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization, WTO, in Madrid.
President Buhari had departed Abuja for Madrid, Spain on a State Visit at the invitation of the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez alongside Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare and the Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora.
In the meeting with King Felipe VI at his Royal Palace, Buhari harped on the need for world leaders to cooperate and strategise on ways to avert the looming global food crisis triggered by several factors, including the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Adesina’s statement read, “The two leaders canvassed a global action to stem the food problem especially in wheat production occasioned by the ongoing war in Ukraine, urging world leaders to take concrete actions to avert the crisis.
“The King said Nigeria was an important country and looked forward to an opportunity to visit the country, especially against the background of stronger cooperation being forged by the two countries.
“President Buhari thanked the Spanish Monarch for the invitation and hospitality extended to him since his arrival and updated him on happenings in Nigeria especially as the country gears up for general elections.”
Also during the visit, bilateral agreements and MoUs were signed covering areas of prisoner transfer, sports and culture, and the economy.
Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Honorable Attorney General of the Federation (HAGF), Abubakar Malami, signed these 3 Agreements on behalf of the FG.
WHAT THEY SIGNED
Media aide to the Presidency, Tolu Ogunlesi stated that the bilateral agreements covered Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Extradition, and Transfer of Sentenced Persons.
The Presidency stated that “The Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons will allow Nigerians serving jail terms in Spanish prisons (there are apparently quite a number of them) to complete their sentences back home if they so wish. (I’m told the Agreement also guarantees some form of legal aid in Spain).”
They also added that five (5) MoUs were signed between Nigeria & Spain by Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Sports Minister Sunday Dare, and Trade Minister Niyi Adebayo on Economic & Trade Cooperation —Sports —Health —Tourism —Science Cooperation
In the meeting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Buhari said his country looked forward to increasing bilateral relations between both nations.
He commended Sanchez for his leadership qualities and contributions to the war against terror in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Mali, and looking forward to cooperation in the area.
Both leaders also discussed areas of cooperation on which the agreements and MoUs were signed.
President Sanchez emphasised that, as a major partner of Spain in Africa, Nigeria is a country that his people really want to have a stronger partnership with going forward.
He commended Buhari for his leadership roles in Africa, especially in the area of strengthening of democratic ideals.
Currently, Spain is the largest importer of Nigerian gas and the third-largest importer of Nigerian crude, and with the visit, the two leaders hoped for bigger trade relations.
