Finally, the State of Qatar has agreed to host the business and investment event that President Bola Tinubu had suggested during his March 2, 2024, visit to the Arab nation.
Following the disclosure of a leaked letter on Saturday indicating that Qatar had rejected the suggested investment forum, Qatar made this choice.
The absence of Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the nation’s minister of commerce and industry, was given as one of the reasons for the fall.
Furthermore, according to the Qatar Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and the Arabian nation have not reached a consensus over the investment forum.
This was mentioned in a previous report in a note verbale sent by the State of Qatar’s Embassy in Abuja to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria’s Protocol Department on February 22, 2024.
The Presidency responded to the purported rejection by stating that Tinubu was not shunned by the Qatari government.
It clarified that a number of activities were scheduled in advance of the President’s official visit to the Gulf nation, including the controversial investment forum between the business communities of Qatar and Nigeria.
“It is not correct for anyone to insinuate that the Qatari authorities have snubbed the Nigerian leader over a business and investment forum which is tangential to the all-important state visit and which President Tinubu is slated to attend as a guest,” a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, on Saturday read.
In an unexpected turn of events, the Qatari government did, however, confirm that Tinubu’s visit would include the business parley in a note verbale that was to obtained on Sunday.
The note verbale, dated Sunday, February 25, 2024, was addressed to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regarding the upcoming state visit of H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Qatar from March 2–3, 2024, and in light of our note, Ref: QEA/FA/057/24, dated February 22, 2024, regarding the holding of a Business and Investment Forum on the fringes of Mr. President’s visit to Qatar on March 2, 2024, the Qatari embassy stated.
“The Embassy has the honour to convey that the Qatar Chamber of Commerce will host the above-mentioned event on March 3, 2024, as proposed by the Nigerian side.”
