French, German Foreign Ministers To Visit Nigeria Today

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart Laurent Fabius, will begin a two-day official visit to Nigeria from Sunday, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. According to the statement, both ministers are scheduled to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan. It said both ministers would also participate at a one-day ministerial meeting with their Nigerian counterpart, Aminu Wali, on Monday. It added that the ministers would pay a courtesy call on Prof Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Ouedraogo. ``Their visit, one among several others from our foreign partners, underscores the healthy relationship and respect Nigeria enjoys within the comity of nations,’’ the statement said. Wali and Steinmeier met in Berlin on Tuesday, where Nigeria solicited more support from Germany for Ebola-affected countries in West Africa. Wali also called for more concerted efforts and cooperation of the international community to address the challenges posed by the Boko Haram insurgency. Ahead of the meeting with Wali, Steinmeier had suggested that EU should consider sending ``a civilian EU mission’’ to West Africa to combat the Ebola virus. The EU and its member have so far given roughly 600 million Euros to combat the virus in West Africa. As at October 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the death toll from Ebola had increased to 4,922 out of 10,141 cases in eight countries On security, France has played a leading role in mobilising Nigeria’s neighbours and countries bordering Lake Chad to develop a joint response to the threat Boko Haram poses to the region. Since the May 17 Paris Summit on security in Nigeria, France has participated in all ministerial meetings to review progress on commitments made by international partners to counter Boko Haram terrorists.