Nigeria, Italy Sign Agreement on Intelligence Sharing

Eni to invest $4billion in the country

Tobi Soniyi

The Nigerian and Italian governments yesterday in Abuja signed an agreement on intelligence sharing, capacity building and provision of logistics that would enhance the operations of the Nigeria Police.

A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the signing of the agreement, witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Matteo Renzi, in the State House was part of bilateral meeting between the two countries which covered issues on energy, security, agriculture, immigration, human and drug trafficking, infrastructure and education.

Adesina said the agreement on enhancing cooperation between the Nigerian and Italian Police was signed by the Inspector General of Police (IG), Solomon Arase and the Italian National Police Chief, Alessandro Pansa.

Speaking at the bilateral meeting, Buhari said he was impressed with the relationship between Nigeria and Italy over the years, especially in the areas of security, construction, oil and gas and the exploration of solid minerals.

The president said: “I am impressed by the resilience and commitment of the Italian business to Nigeria’s development shown by the Italian construction companies and companies in the oil sector.

‘‘I am happy to hear that an Italian oil company, Eni Limited, is investing 4 billion US dollars in the coming three years in the economy in spite of the downward spiral of oil prices.”

In his remarks, the Italian Prime Minister said his country would support Nigeria in the ongoing fight against corruption, terrorism and also encourage Italian companies to invest more in sectors that would enable growth and create jobs for Nigerians like power, agriculture and solid minerals.

After the meeting, Buhari an his guest addressed a joint-press conference held outside the Council Chamber of the Villa Both leaders promised to intensify efforts to find common ground for better economic and security partnerships.

Welcoming the Italian leader to the Presidential Villa, Buhari thanked his guest for prioritising matters that concerned Nigeria and promised to cooperate fully with Italy on issues of importance. Buhari said: “We discussed majorly in terms of development of petroleum resources and supporting us with training and equipping our security forces to check illegal immigration.”

The president said their discussion also included the need to prioritise agriculture in the face of falling prices of crude oil.

“We discussed about agriculture which is one of the areas we identify that will be a priority in face of dwindling oil prices,” Buhari said.

In his remarks, the Italian Prime Minister said he was in Nigeria to highlight the common ideas and values that the two countries shared, adding that his government had identified Nigeria as a key ally in the war on terror and illegal migration.

Renzi, 41, also promised to ensure improved cooperation with Nigeria in areas of security, energy, agriculture and small and medium scale ventures.

“Italy will improve cooperation with Nigeria in areas of security, energy, agriculture and small and medium enterprise,” he said.

Renzi further vowed to work with Nigeria and the global community to ensure a prompt destruction of Boko Haram, adding that the will of Nigerians would not be broken by the insurgency.

Renzi’s visit comes two days after the insurgents launched a deadly attack on Dalori, just outside Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which is the epicentre of the insurgency that began nearly 7 years ago.