The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Spain

  • Spanish envoy backs Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign

    Spanish envoy backs Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign

    The Spanish Government on Friday said President Muhammadu Buhari’s policies, especially the anti-corruption campaign, were vital to attracting investment to Nigeria.

    The Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Alfonso Barnuevo, made the remark at a ceremony to mark the National Day of Spain in Abuja.

    Barnuevo explained that Nigeria-Spain relation was ‘’excellent’’, having strategic components from the security, economic and commercial points.

    “President Buhari and His Majesty, the King of Spain, held a meeting in New York on Sept. I, 2014, and I can only qualify the meeting as excellent for our relations.

    “His (King Felipe’s) message to us is that we want to work closely with the new administration and Spain will always be a friend of your country.

    “A solid and prosperous Nigeria is important to Spain; the political stability obtained after election will contribute to enhance the sustainable development and growth of Nigeria.

    “The government of Spain has picked confidence in the economic reforms of President Buhari and his anti-corruption campaign; solid policies are important to attract investors,” he said.

    The envoy explained that trade relations between Nigeria and Spain had continued to grow, pointing out that Spain was Nigeria’s ‘’second best customer’’.

    He said Spain’s interest in Nigeria included the oil and gas, agriculture and construction, adding that his country was fortunate to have economic and trade relations with Nigeria.

    “We bought, in 2014, 6.5 billion Euros of oil and gas; we can straight-forward say that Spain and Nigeria maintain strategic relation in this area,” he said.

    He, therefore described trade relation between both countries as “two-way mutually-satisfactory”.
    Barnuevo condemned Boko Haram attacks in the country, saying that Spain was ready to collaborate with Nigeria in the fight against the insurgents.

    “We are happy at the great stride Nigeria is making in the field of peace and stability and in the fight against Boko Haram.

    “This is a matter in which Nigeria can always count on the support of Spain. We in Spain have also suffered human terrorism for many years,” he said.

    He acknowledged Nigeria-Spain collaboration at the UN Security Council, saying the relationship was important in fighting terrorism and human trafficking.

    In his remarks, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Bukus Lolo, commended the Spanish Government and King Felipe for extension of hand of friendship to Buhari.
    He assured Spain and the international community that Buhari’s administration was determined to bring changes that would impact on the lives of Nigerians.

    “The promise that came with the campaigns and now that President Buhari is leading the government is one of bringing welfare to the people.

    “The promise is one of changing the lives of the people for good and also enabling Nigeria to assume and play her role not only in West Africa, Africa but the world,” he said.

  • ‘Spain spent 6.5b euros on Nigeria’s oil’

    ‘Spain spent 6.5b euros on Nigeria’s oil’

    •Promises to assist in fighting terrorism

    SPAIN has said it spent about 6.5 billion euros last year to  BUY oil and gas from Nigeria.

    Its Ambassador to Nigeria, Alfonso Sebastian de Erice, who visited to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Yakubu Dogara at the National Assembly, pledged his country’s commitment to assisting Nigeria in its fight against terrorism.

    The Spanish authorities,  appreciating the existing bilateral relations between Spain and Nigeria, expressed readiness to help Nigeria boost local production of crude oil through partnership to transform the existing refineries.

    He also expressed Spain’s readiness to partner Nigeria in the area of agricultural development.

    He said: “Spain is one of the partners of Nigeria, the first or the second best client. We buy 6.5 billion euros of oil and gas. Yes we are very happy with the exchanges that we have, we need the oil but we want to diversify because we think it’s very important that our economic relations do not be only in gas and petrol, we have to diversify.

    “We want to cooperate with you in agriculture, we have very good agricultural industry, we have comparative advantage in tourism, manufacturing, you have people who are very well prepared. We have several treaties that allow us to work here. It’s a domain that we will have to explore. For us the oil business is important because we need it but we want to diversity and I know that Nigerian authorities also want to diversify.”

    The Ambassador while speaking on terrorist attack in the country, said his country is ready to provide support towards combating the menace.

    He said Spain and relevant agencies in Nigeria have signed several memorandum of understandings (MoUs) on training and anti-terrorism.

    Responding, Dogara said Nigeria appreciates the offer to help in fighting terrorism as Spain has the wherewithal to assist in the fight against insurgency because Spain has faced and overcome such problems in the past,

    He said Nigeria has a lot in common with Spain as it played a major role in stabilising democracy in Nigeria and also that the trade relations between Nigeria and Spain dates back to several decades.

    He called on Spain to further assist Nigeria by looking into the area of agriculture to help diversify the national economy adding that any further relationship that will lead to the development Nigeria is welcome.

    Dogara pledged support for the development of tourism, mineral resources and other sectors that could provide employment for the teeming population of Cross River State.

    He made the pledge when the Cross Rivers State Caucus in the House paid him a courtesy visit.

    The Speaker however urged the lawmakers to shun personal interests, and spoke of the need for the lawmakers to compensate those who suffered during the electioneering campaign by promoting pro-people agenda which include employment generation and security.

    He assured Nigerians that the lingering crisis would be resolved soon and reiterated the commitment of the 8th House towards the implementation of its legislative agenda.

  • Spain, U.S. condemns Boko Haram attacks

    Spain, U.S. condemns Boko Haram attacks

    Spain and US have strongly condemned the recent Boko Haram attacks in Chad and neighboring countries.

    Both countries also reassured that they remain committed to assisting the lake Chad countries to root out the threat posed by the group.

    In a statement by John Kirby U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Washington, D.C and made available to Diplomatic Correspondents in Abuja said US was prepared to expand its support both bilaterally with the individual countries and to the Multinational Joint Task Force.

    The statement reads: “The United States strongly condemns the horrific and indiscriminate Boko Haram suicide attack on the Grand Marche in the Chadian capital of N’Djamena on Saturday, July 11, as well as attacks in Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria over the past two days.  Boko Haram’s targeting of men, women, and children highlights that the group’s brutality and barbarism know no bounds, and we remain committed to working closely with the region to root out the threat posed by the group.

    “We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the soldiers, government officials, and civilians killed; we hope those who were injured will recover quickly.

    “The United States praises the security forces of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria for their timely responses to these callous and cowardly attacks on innocent civilians.

    “The United States continues to support the governments and people of the Lake Chad Basin region in their ongoing struggle to degrade and defeat Boko Haram.  We support these efforts through a number of security and counter-terrorism assistance programs, including intelligence, advisors, training, and equipment .

    “We look forward t

  • Nigeria, Spain to sign MoU on illegal migration, trafficking

    Nigeria and Spain are working toward signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Illegal Immigration and Trafficking in Human Beings,’’ the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement.

    The statement, issued in Abuja on Friday, said Amb. Alfonso Barnuevo disclosed this at a Document Forgery Course held at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) headquarters in Abuja.

    The statement said that the course was organised by the Spanish Ministry of Interior for NIS staff.

    It noted that “Amb. Barnuevo acknowledged Nigeria’s efforts and serious determination to protect its borders and crackdown on human trafficking organised groups.

    “Barnuevo announced the intention of NIS, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and the Spanish Police to sign an MoU on Illegal Immigration and Traffic in Human Beings.’’

    The statement quoted Barnuevo as saying that the course was a sign of determination by Nigeria and Spain to jointly fight document fraud and human trafficking.

    “The course means a step forward in the cooperation between Nigeria and Spain and is a sign of joint efforts to fight document fraud and more broadly, human trafficking.’’

    It said the new edition of the course on document forgery was organised by the Attaché of the Ministry of Interior of Spain, Mr Alberto Alonso.

    The statement added that the closing ceremony was chaired by the Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr David Parradang.

  • Spain to accept Europe’s first confirmed Ebola case

    Spain to accept Europe’s first confirmed Ebola case

    Spanish missionary priest working at a hospital in Liberia was taken to Spain yesterday aboard a military jet.

    Spain had been preparing to accept Europe’s first confirmed case of the Ebola virus.

    A medically-equipped military jet was sent to Liberia to repatriate Miguel Pajares, 75, a Spanish missionary priest working at a hospital in the West African country.

    The priest was one of three missionaries to test positive for the virus at the San Jose de Monrovia Hospital in the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

    Brother Pajares and his two fellow workers, Chantal Pascaline Mutwamene of Congo and Paciencia Melgar from Equatorial Guinea, belong to the Hospital Order of San Juan de Dios, a Catholic humanitarian group that runs hospitals around the world, and had been helping to treat patients infected with the virus.

    They had been in quarantine since Saturday along with two others – who have since tested negative – following the death of the hospital’s director, Brother Patrick Nshamdze.

    The priest was due to arrive back in Madrid yesterday to be immediately transferred to the capital’s Carlos III hospital where an isolation ward had been set up in preparation.

    The priest, who has spent five decades working as a missionary in Liberia, will be treated by only two medical professionals in a bid to contain the risk of virus spreading.

    “The safety protocols we will use guarantee minimum risk,” said Mercedes Vinuesa Sebastian, the director general of public health in Spain.

    On hearing that he would be repatriated, the Spanish priest told Spain’s ABC newspaper by telephone: “This news has lifted my spirits, it is great. I am very happy. It is worth fighting on.”

    It will be the first time a confirmed case of Ebola is to be treated on European soil.

    Hospitals across United States are isolating and testing potential Ebola patients, erring on the side of caution as the largest Ebola outbreak to date rages in West Africa.

    A 46-year-old Columbus, Ohio, woman who recently travelled to one of the three countries affected by the outbreak is being held in isolation at a local hospital, the Columbus health department said yesterday. She was hospitalised several days ago but is “doing well” as she awaits Ebola test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which are expected, the health department said.

    The CDC last week sent a health alert to hospitals across United States urging them to ask patients about their travel history to help identify potential Ebola cases. The CDC said has tested blood samples from six people with possible Ebola symptoms who had recently traveled to West Africa.

    Emergency room physicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine thought one of their patients had Ebola on Friday, but it turned out to be a false alarm, according to an internal memo obtained by ABC News.

    The patient was ultimately diagnosed with malaria, but Dr. Trish Perl, a senior epidemiologist at the hospital in Baltimore, wrote in a memo to her staff that those involved did a “remarkable job” identifying and isolating the patient as well as making sure a minimal number of people were at risk for contracting the virus.

    “This is a ‘wake up’ call for all of us to recognize that we are vulnerable because of the patients we serve and our location,” Perl wrote.

  • Canada, Spain condemn bombing

    Canada, Spain condemn bombing

    The Canadian and Spanish governments have condemned Wednesday’s bombing in Kaduna.

    The opposition party’s candidate in the 2011 presidential election, Gen. Muhammad Buhari, narrowly escaped death as the bombers targeted his convoy.

    In separate statements, both countries called for justice against the perpetrators of the bombing.

    The Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deepak Obhrai said: “Canada condemns in the strongest terms the two terrorists attacks in Nigeria, Kaduna region, which killed 82 innocent victims.

    “These cowardly acts took place on one of the most important nights of Ramadan. Reports are that one of the bombs targeted a former Nigerian leader, General Buhari. They also followed on the heels of Boko Haram’s brutal destruction of Damboa and recent attacks on Chibok, the hometown of the kidnapped girls.”

  • Spain: Police target cells recruiting war volunteers

    Spain: Police target cells recruiting war volunteers

    In this tiny North African enclave, the Spanish police have cracked down in recent weeks on a network of Islamic militants with footholds in Spain and Morocco that they say has recruited and dispatched young volunteers to join insurgencies from Mali to Libya to Syria.

    The Spanish authorities described the cells as radicalized and connected via the Internet to some of the most dangerous militant groups that are fueling conflicts from Western Africa to Syria and Iraq, while also reinforcing fears that fighters with European passports will return with deadly skills to strike at home.

    Six Spanish citizens were arrested two weeks ago in this town, several of whom had served in the Spanish military, security officials said.

    Across Europe, authorities have stepped up surveillance and arrests of suspected militants as the Syrian conflict lures hundreds of fighters with European passports.

    But the alarm is arguably greater in Spain, which suffered Europe’s worst attack at the hands of Islamic militants in 2004, when 191 people were killed in a series of train bombings. The Spanish counterterrorism police say they have broken up more terrorist cells than in any other European country in the last three years.

    Spain’s Interior Ministry said the Madrid cell was led by Lahcen Ikassrien, a Moroccan who was freed from the United States military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; handed over to Spain; and later released. Mr. Ikassrien was arrested at his home outside Madrid. The others arrested included Moroccans, Spaniards and an Argentine, according to the Spanish news media, which cited anonymous police sources.

     

  • Brazil tipped to win World Cup

    Brazil tipped to win World Cup

    Brazil is the clear-cut favorite to win a sixth World Cup title, confirming on home turf its reputation as a soccer superpower, according to a global survey of over 120 football-loving market analysts polled by Reuters.

    Brazil was the best bet for over half of the respondents, way ahead of Germany and arch-rivals Argentina, as international soccer fans vie for one of the millions of tickets to cheer on their home country after the first kick off on June 12.

    “The Brazilians are the big favorites. It will be very difficult for Brazil to lose there,” said John Welch, a strategist with CIBC in Toronto. “But because of the way (Brazil’s coach) Felipao plays, they are not going to be winning by 3 or 4 goals every time like they did in 1950 until the final.”

    Market professionals from across the world who regularly participate in Reuters economic polls were invited to showcase their forecasting powers on sporting matters. Most responses came from Europe and South America, in line with the greater presence of both regions in the 32-team tournament.

    However, being the favorite of analysts and bookmakers should not cause too much enthusiasm in Brazil, according to Reuters polls on previous World Cup tournaments.

    Although most were right in predicting Spain’s glory before the 2010 South Africa cup, economists failed miserably in forecasting Italy’s fourth title in 2006.

    Some used sophisticated statistical models to predict World Cup results but were beaten by Paul, an Octopus living in a aquarium at Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who picked the right winner in 12 out of 14 matches in the latest cup.

    A Reuters Breakingviews calculator based on the hard numbers – the players’ transfer value, population, participation and public engagement – suggested Germany will squash the dream of a sixth win for Brazil.

    In any case, this year’s solid consensus is evidence of the great impression left by Neymar and his teammates last year, when they crushed once-feared Spain by 3-0 to win the Confederations Cup after a flawless campaign.

    Despite unrest in Brazil’s streets over the staggering cost of the World Cup and jeers for President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s team received massive support from its fans, giving economists another reason to be optimistic about the Selecao.

    Brazil last hosted the cup in 1950 and an unexpected defeat then by Uruguay in front of more than 200,000 fans left deep scars in Brazil’s national psyche and nurtured glory-thirsty teams which, led by Pele, were crowned world champion three times in the following four editions.

    The best candidates to repeat Uruguay’s feat in the economists’ opinion are Germany, with 18 votes, and Lionel Messi’s Argentina, with 13. Spain had more mentions than Germany to appear in the World Cup final match, but only eight expect a second straight title.

    None saw Brazil’s challengers coming from England, though. The inventors of football were pointed as the most likely former world champion to crash out of the tournament in the group stage, with 64 mentions.

    “England will return from Brazil without scoring a single goal a la France in 2002,” said Isaac Matshego at Nedbank.

    Pessimism about England’s World Cup prospects seems to have reached the highest levels after a British government report suggested that the national team faced their customary early exit from the tournament.

     

  • Canada, Spain condemn attack

    Canada and Spain have condemned the Monday morning bombing at Nyanya, Abuja.

    Over 70 people were killed and over 100 were seriously injured in the blast.

    Both countries advised the Nigeria government to bring those behind the dasterdly act to justice.

    Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the act of terror should not be allowed to go unpunished.

    He reaffirmed his country’s support for Nigeria to combat terrorism.

    The statement reads: “Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this cowardly terrorist attack during the rush hour at a busy bus station in Abuja.

    “On behalf of all Canadians, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the innocent victims of this attack.

    “Such a brutal act of terror cannot be allowed to go unpunished. Canada reaffirms its support for Nigeria as it combats terrorism.”

    Spain said it would always support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.

     

  • Spain ends Nigeria’s World Cup dream

    Spain ends Nigeria’s World Cup dream

    Spain Friday morning defeated Nigeria’s Flamingoes 3-0 to end the dream of Nigeria making it into the semi-final of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time. Spain will now face Italy in the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup.

    The Nigeria ladies gave a good account of themselves, especially in the first half before Spain took charge in the second half seeing Patri Guijarron netting a brace, the first being a penalty scored in the 29th minute after Ugochi Emenayo tripped Andrea Falcon who was racing toward goal.

    Spain doubled their lead in the 59th minute when Nahikari Garcia pounced on a sublime pass from Laura Dominguez.

    Spain sealed the victory when Patri Guijarron completed her brace in the 70th minute for the third goal of the game, tapping in a rebound after Nigeria’s goalkeeper dropped a shot from Sandra Hernandez.

    Nigeria’s goalkeeper Onyinyechukwu Okeke had a busy day stopping the efforts of Laura Dominguez and Nahikari Garcia.