Nine months after he came to power, Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari received an official welcome from Qatar’s Emir on
Buhari’s latest trip of many to boost Nigeria’s standing abroad.
The Nigerian president is seeking support for
his crackdown on corruption and to encourage much-needed investment in his
country’s ailing economy.
Qatar is the current president of Organization
of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil
producer.
The low oil price has a devastating impact on
the Nigerian economy, which has long depended on the export of oil.
“We were unable to diversify our economy, hence
we are much more disadvantaged by the lower oil prices,” Buhari says.
Buhari tells us he values the institution of
OPEC and that “Nigeria will make the necessary sacrifice to remain in OPEC.”
With a chorus of voices, including from the
IMF, calling for the Nigerian government to devalue the naira, Buhari says he
will not reconsider his insistence on freezing the currency.
Buhari says as Nigeria “virtually imports
everything, from rice to toothpicks”, it cannot afford to devalue its currency.
“If it is against our national interest, why
can’t we go against the IMF advice?” Buhari asks.
Buhari’s election campaign rode on pledges to
root out corruption and quash the armed group Boko Haram. Yet, Boko Haram
remains active in many areas of Nigeria, seemingly able to strike at will.
And many questions are being asked about
whether Buhari’s anti-corruption drive is yielding results and if newer forms
of corruption are emerging with a freeze on the naira.
President Buhari talks to Al Jazeera about his
campaign against graft and why he is adamant he hasn’t failed in the fight
against Boko Haram.
He also explains why he believes the security
of his country is best served by being part of the Saudi-led Islamic
anti-terrorism coalition announced in December 2015.
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