Amb.Olugbenga Ashiru, Minister of Foreign Affairs, has called for early conclusion of Prisoners Transfer Agreements (PTA) between Nigeria and countries in Europe.
Ashiru made the call on Monday in Berlin at a two-day seminar organised for Heads of Nigerian Missions in Europe.
The Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that under the agreement, Nigerians serving prison terms in Europe could be transferred home to complete their sentences.
“One strategy we need to deliberate upon to ameliorate the plight of Nigerian prisoners is the prospect of concluding the PTA.
“This includes, the legal framework for orderly repatriation of Nigerians who have lost their rights to remain in their host countries,” Ashiru said while declaring open the seminar.
According to him, the agreement is already being implemented in the UK, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, South Africa and Turkey.
Ashiru also tasked the envoys to focus more on economic diplomacy, saying, “we need to market Nigeria’s huge potentials and growing profile as the greatest market of foreign investments in Africa with the highest rate of returns.”
The minister urged the Ambassadors to explore opportunities offered by the economic meltdown in parts of Europe to increase the nation’s share of global inflow of foreign direct investments.
In his remark, Amb. Abdu Abubakar, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, expressed the hope that the seminar would proffer solutions to some of the problems affecting the embassies and missions.
NAN recalls that similar seminars were held in Accra, New York and Beijing for missions in West Africa, Asia-Pacific and the U.S.
