Receiving the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-thani in Aso Villa on Tuesday in Abuja, Buhari said that the recharge of Lake Chad with water from the Congo Basin, so as to grant succour to the more than 30 million people adversely affected by the shrinkage of the lake over the years was of great importance to Nigeria and the countries within the Lake Chad Basin.

“We invite you to invest in our refineries, pipelines, power sector, aviation, agriculture, education, and many others, so that you can have your management here to oversee the investment. We need your expertise,” local media reports quoted Buhari as saying.

On the receding Lake Chad, he noted that of the over 30 million people affected, more than half are in Nigeria, and it has contributed greatly to illegal migration, as innumerable youths dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, in order to find safer shores in Europe and that a large number die in the process.

“We need help with the recharge of Lake Chad, as it is not a project that the concerned countries can handle alone,” he said.

According to him, recharging the lake will bring back fishing, farming, animal husbandry, and the youths won’t be attracted by insurgency or illegal migration.

“We want Qatar to be involved because of the humanitarian nature of the endeavor,” he added.

Responding, Sheikh Hamad Al-thani said that he was honoured and happy to be in Nigeria for the first time, adding that it was a reciprocal visit to the one paid to Qatar in 2016 by President Buhari.

“The relationship between our countries is very good. We just have to build on it,” the Emir said.

“We share a lot of similarities in different areas. We need to enhance bilateral trade and economic cooperation. We are willing to do a lot more with Nigeria, and will continue to work on investment opportunities of mutual benefit,” the Emir added.