The president said this in Abuja
when he played host to Angela Merkel, prime minister of Germany on Friday.
He said those who get stuck in
the journey would be rescued and sent to their local government areas.
Buhari added that over 3,000
illegal migrants stranded in Libya had been repatriated to the country.
“Firstly I’m against those my
country men and women that illegally travel to Europe. I believe you know the
ECOWAS protocol encourages free movement of persons, goods and services,” he
said.
“For those going to Europe, we
are not as an administration agreeing with those who continue to defy the
Sahara dessert and the Mediterranean because they feel there are greener
pastures there, whether they are prepared for it or not. We do not support anything
illegal and indiscipline.
“About six weeks ago, we
repatriated 3,000 Nigerians who were stuck in Libya on their way to Europe. You
must have read in the papers and watch on the television the number of
Nigerians lost in the Mediterranean.
“We have made it very clear that
we do not support anything illegal and anybody who feels this country does not
offer him what he should to be offered as a citizen and decide to defy the
desert and the Mediterranean is doing it at his own risk.
“But if he is stuck somewhere in
Libya between his final destination and Nigeria, we will rescue him and bring
him back home and send him back to his local government.”
In her remarks, the German
chancellor described Nigeria as a very important country in Africa, hence the need
to maintain a cordial relationship.
She commended Nigeria’s success
in producing food that is needed in the country which necessitated the
important cooperation in agriculture as well as manufacturing Volkswagen cars
in Nigeria.
Merkel also spoke on how to
address the problems of migration by providing jobs.
The chancellor, who spoke in
German, commend the effort of Buhari’s administration in tackling Boko Haram.
She said currently, 12,000
Nigerians were studying in Germany through scholarships and her government
intends to increase that number.
On the 2019 elections, Merkel
said they both discussed the importance of free and fair elections.
Meanwhile, Nigeria and Germany on
Friday signed two memoranda of understanding in agriculture and commerce as
part of the visit of the German chancellor.
The first agreement was signed
between the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and
Agriculture, (NACCIMA) and the German-Africa Business Association.
Saratu Abubakar, deputy national
president of NACCIMA, signed on behalf of Nigeria, while Stefan Liebing, of
German Africa Business Association, signed on behalf of the German business
delegation.
The second agreement was signed
between the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural
Lending, NIRSAL, and the PETKUS Technologie GmbH, a company that specializes in
post-harvest agricultural value chain.
While the Managing Director of
NIRSAL, Aliyu Abdulhameed, signed on behalf of Nigeria, the representative of
PETKUS Technologie GmbH, Peter Huser, signed for the Germans.
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