President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s two-day official visit to the State of Qatar will assume full gear today with the signing of seven agreements between Nigeria and the Middle East country.
The visit had begun yesterday with a visit the Nigerian president paid to the Museum in Doha, the capital city where the CEO of Qatar Museums Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi and the Director of National Museum of Qatar, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al Thani conducted the Nigerian leader around the facilities.

The Museum which was recently redesigned ahead of the 2022 FIFA world Cup, offers visitors access to a variety of materials used in Islamic art, including carpets and textiles, manuscripts, ceramics, wood, ivory, metalwork, stone and glass.

The President is expected to see pieces of materials dating back to the earliest Islamic period from the 20th century, spanning Spain and North Africa to the Far East.

The host is also expected to conduct his visitor to view the early Hijazi Quran fragments, the sitara of the Holy Kaaba, the Moroccan arch, a copy of al-Sufi’s treatise on the fixed stars, the Abbasid blue-and-white bowl, the Seljuq stucco panel, the Doha Hind and the post-Islamic Spanish ceiling.

The visit to the Museum is expected to herald other events that will culminate in the signing of agreements in seven areas between the Nigeria and Qatari governments today.

From the Museum, the President will visit the Qatar Foundation, which is responsible for promoting Qatar government humanitarian activities in other countries, including Nigeria.

The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, is a state-led non-profit organisation in Qatar.

The institution, which was founded in 1995 by the then Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his second wife Moza bint Nasser Al-Missne, has been linked to development of schools, houses and health facilities in several countries, including Nigeria.

The Foundation helped Nigeria with infrastructures including schools, residential houses and health facilities in states ravaged by insecurity.

Earlier on Friday night, President Tinubu had met with key ministers and top officials of the Qatari government.

At the meeting were some key Nigerian government officials on the President’s entourage, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Minister of Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite; the Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim and the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, Ali Pate.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, said the Federal Government (FG) has identified locations where Lithium occurs in commercial quantities in the country.

He said comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of energy mineral Lithium are available at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency for businesses interested in establishing lithium companies in Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the Minister, Kehinde Bamigbetan, made this known in a statement.

He said Alake made this disclosure in Doha, Qatar on Saturday at a meeting with Qatari businessmen on the sidelines of the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Arab country.

He stated: “Comprehensive data on the pattern and quantity of energy mineral Lithium are available at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency for businesses interested in establishing lithium companies in Nigeria.

“Responding to enquiries on the quality of Nigerian lithium by Qatari business mogul Sheikh Shahid Jawad, at the meeting held at the prestigious Sheraton Doha, Alake said mineral exploration initiated by the Federal Government has identified locations where lithium is available in commercial quantities and in high grades.

“To buttress the disclosure, Alake recalled that on a visit to Australia, he was presented with samples of rock composites from Nigeria with high grade lithium content confirmed by laboratory analysis.

“He said it showed that the quality of Nigerian lithium has been recognised by the global mining sector.

“Encouraging Qatari businessmen to visit the country and witness the immense opportunities in mining, Alake said the Nigerian government has put in place generous, investor- friendly policies to facilitate business.

“Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of Solid Minerals Development Fund, Mrs Fatimah Shinkafi, urged investors to explore opportunities in mining infrastructures.

“Giving the example of Vale, a mining company in Brazil that invested in trains to ease the transportation of minerals from the mines to the processing towns, Shinkafi said while the government will continue to provide transportation facilities to the mines, mining companies that recognise the significance of transportation to their future cost control will invest wisely by supplementing government’s efforts.

“Also giving the minister the update of its activities in the mining sector, the vice- chairman of the Qatar- Nigerian Chamber of Business, Muhammed Santuraki, said the chamber was formed in 2017 to build business relations between both countries.

“Recalling a recent visit to a gold mine in Nasarawa State, Santuraki observed the existence of good roads for the haulage of minerals to the ports.

“Other businessmen at the top- level meeting were Sheikh El Jouneid, Chief Executive Officer, ETCC Qatar and Aminu Dahiru, Chairman, Asdub Oil & Gas.”