By Maureen Okon
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Sen. Ita Enang, has presented his Letters of Credence to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Presidential Palace in Berlin.
The development is contained in a statement by Enang made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Enang said the ceremony was conducted in line with diplomatic tradition and featured a military welcome parade, the signing of the accreditation register and the formal presentation of credentials.
He said Steinmeier received him after the ceremony for talks on bilateral relations.
According to Enang, the German President commended President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria for the strong bilateral relations between both countries, recalling previous state visits and engagements on the sidelines of multilateral meetings.
Steinmeier also noted the expeditious processing of the incoming German Ambassador-designate to Nigeria.
Responding, Enang expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for appointing him to represent Nigeria in Germany and pledged to strengthen existing relations.
He conveyed the Federal Government’s appreciation for the humanitarian assistance announced by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul during his courtesy visit to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, on July 22.
The envoy said discussions focused on the economy, energy, migration and security, with both sides exploring ways to deepen cooperation.
Enang advocated the establishment of German automobile assembly plants in Nigeria to assemble vehicles, trucks and machinery locally to promote technology transfer and build local capacity.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to expanding mutually beneficial partnerships with Germany in trade, technology transfer, energy and people-to-people exchanges.
According to the statement, both sides also discussed off-grid energy solutions, the Siemens power project and Germany’s interest in harnessing gas currently flared in the Niger Delta for electricity generation.
They also considered a proposed Nigeria-Germany migration agreement to create legal pathways for skilled Nigerians, particularly in medicine, information technology, artificial intelligence and other specialised fields, to work in Germany.
The discussions further highlighted Nigeria’s leadership role under President Tinubu within ECOWAS and the need to encourage the return of Sahel countries that exited the regional bloc to strengthen regional and continental security cooperation.
The statement added that both sides reviewed Germany’s role as guarantor of the Green Tree Agreement following the International Court of Justice judgment on the Nigeria-Cameroon land and maritime boundary dispute, including Bakassi.
They also discussed displacement and humanitarian issues arising from the boundary demarcation.
According to the statement, both countries agreed on the need for more high-level bilateral visits to further deepen relations.
Enang was accompanied by the Deputy Head of Mission, Amb. Mohammed Bashir; the Head of Chancery, Mrs Chioma Haidara; his wife, Mrs Rosemary Ita Enang; and other officials.
The ceremony concluded with the exchange of memorabilia between officials of the German Federal Foreign Office and the Nigerian Mission in Berlin.
A detachment of the German military mounted a guard of honour as the Nigerian flag was hoisted at the German Presidency. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)