The three-day visit of President Bola Tinubu to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, has come and gone, but the visit has left in its wake salient points for conversations on the benefits or otherwise.
As some are wont to believe, Nigeria has probably little to gain from Equatorial Guinea, which is a small country compared to Nigeria in terms of landmass and population.
However, key officials of the Tinubu government insist that the official visit of the President to Equatorial Guinea, at the invitation of President Teodoro Mbasogo, is beneficial to Nigeria in many ways.
For instance, Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), said the gas deal signed with Equatorial Guinea was good for Nigeria because it would bring about economic gains and strengthen the ties between the two countries.
The minister stated that the deal would lead to an increase in upstream gas utilisation in Nigeria, as the stranded gas would be utilised for economic gains for the two countries.
He explained that the deal would further develop the gas value chain and that the construction of the gas pipeline would employ several people from both countries.
“In terms of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), I have been informed that they will need about four million tonnes of gas per year, and the methanol plant will need about one billion cubic feet per day.
“So, it is a good one, and you know our President is enthusiastic about gas. Anything gas, he will go into it,” said Ekpo.
Similarly, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea as neighbours, have a lot of opportunities that had not been actualised, but through President Tinubu’s visit, some of those opportunities would soon come to reality.
He stated that it is on record that Equatorial Guinea has an LNG plant, which has since run out of gas.
“So, the country is in need of Nigerian gas to keep its LNG plant going. And of course, we have untapped gas resources just nearby – off the coast of Calabar in Akwa Ibom,” he said.
According to him, one remarkable achievement Nigeria needs to record is to construct a 150-kilometre pipeline to the LNG plant.
He explained that Equatorial Guinea also has very fertile land where plantain and bananas grow even in the wild.
He said these and many other opportunities could be harnessed in terms of trade, and fittingly, the two presidents have agreed to increase the volume of trade between the two countries.
He added that there is a Joint National Commission of the two countries that had been inactive, which President Tinubu and his Equatorial Guinea counterpart have resuscitated.
According to him, the first meeting of the commission will be held in November, where the framework for cooperation in terms of the safety and security of the Gulf of Guinea will be established.
“These two countries are gatekeepers of the Gulf of Guinea, and that security collaboration is necessary.
“If you remember, in 2002 there was a vessel involved in illicit activities in Nigeria and ran to Equatorial Guinea.
“The authorities in Equatorial Guinea then arrested that vessel and handed over the crude oil in it to Nigeria.
“So, that has set a precedence. It’s part of the reasons why since 2022 Nigeria has not recorded any piracy incident within its territorial waters.
“This is because the pirates know that if they do anything and run to a place like Equatorial Guinea, they’re going to be sent back to Nigeria for trial,” he said.
He said that sort of collaboration was needed in the Gulf of Guinea, and that the agreements to be signed during the Joint National Commission meeting in November included different facets of the achievements of President Tinubu’s visit.
Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, agreed with Tuggar that the visit of President Tinubu to Equatorial Guinea was beneficial to Nigeria in many ways.
Tunji-Ojo said the discussion between the two presidents centred on economic development, migration, visa policies, and trade, among others.
He described President Tinubu as a rallying point, a fulcrum who held a pivotal position in resolving Visa issues for easier movement between African countries and economic interactions.
“And the President is already working on that. As the Minister of Interior, he has given me the matching orders to look at that in line with the act of reciprocity,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, Minister of Defence, said that even though a defence agreement had not yet been signed by the two countries, there was a joint committee for patrol, policing and security on the borders of the two countries and the Gulf of Guinea.
Abubakar said discussion was ongoing toward setting up a robust patrol on the sea to prevent all illegalities around the Gulf of Guinea.
He said the security patrol would also check the illegal movement of crude oil from both countries and that it would help reduce oil bunkering.
On her part, Dr Jamila Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development, said the visit allowed the two countries to explore areas of cooperation in terms of youth development.
“And of course, we’re in the process of arriving at a treaty, an agreement on youth development with my counterpart, which we will be finalising through the Joint National Commission.
“From Mr President’s speeches at several of our bilateral engagements, he has clearly stated his commitment to collaborating with other African leaders to ensure that we harness the youth demography towards transformational economic development of the continent.
“The President believes that only when we’re strong as a continent, and all the leaders come together, that we can harness the potential of our young people across the continent,” said Ibrahim.
She added that the two countries agreed to collaborate in several areas, including the National Youth Service Corps, skills development, furniture value chain, fashion/garment and cash crop sectors.
President Tinubu has said that the deal with his Equatorial Guinea counterpart covers legislative and regulatory measures for the gas pipeline, establishment and operation, transit of natural gas, ownership of the gas pipeline and general principles guiding it.
The President is convinced that the agreement will open up a new vista of opportunities for gas exploration and employment in the sector.
However, he is worried that developments in parts of the continent and the Sahel are not pleasant for the economic development and the future of the continent.
“Without peace, we cannot have development.
“We had better roll up our sleeves, put on our knickers, and move strongly for the peace and stability of our continent,” the President stated.