Nigeria brought up the issue of Simon Ekpa, one of the IPOB leaders during a meeting with the Finland government.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, Tuesday, 13 August 2024 disclosed this following his meeting with his Finland counterpart, Ms Elina Valtonen.
Ekpa, based in Finland, heads Autopilot, a faction of the IPOB, a separatist group agitating for creating an independent state of Biafra from south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria.
Ekpa had been accused of instigating violence in the country, especially in the South East. He is said to be behind the sit at home order in the region.
Tuggar, while responding to a question if the issue of Ekpa was raised with the visiting Finish Minister, responded affirmatively.
He stressed that the issue should be paramount in Nigeria-Finland discussions.
The Minister who spoke when he received his Nordic countries Ministers of Foreign Affairs said, “That’s a no brainer, you know, there’s no way Nigeria is going to engage with Finland, without raising the issue of Simon Ekpa, and raising it vociferously, so take that as having been done.”
The other Nordic ministers at the meeting are Mr Tobias Billström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ms Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Ms Bjørg Sandkjær, State Secretary for International Development, Norway and Ms Eva Marie Frida Barløse, Under Secretary for Foreign Policy, Denmark.
Speaking further Tuggar said Nigeria has a long relationship with the Nordic countries.
He said: “We’ve had a very long relationship with them, going back to our independence. As a matter of fact, Finland, I believe, was one of the first countries to recognize Nigeria as a republic. You know, first we became independent, then we became a republic. So that history goes all the way back. They’ve been very supportive in terms of what we’ve been doing in fighting terrorism, in deradicalization, in resettlement, in getting people to go back to their lives in the Lake Chad region.
“Of course, they are a very strong trade partners to us, but we want to improve that trade. And of course, with a lot of the initiatives of the current administration.
He also said Nigeria is seeking partnership with the Nordic countries in the area of cheap and clean energy, renewable technology amongst others.
“So we’re looking to partner with them. They’re very interested also in partnering with us,” he said
