Robert Maersk Uggla, chair of Danish shipping giant A.P Moller-Maersk, has denied signing any $600 million investment deal with the Nigerian government. This comes despite a Sunday press statement by President Bola Tinubu’s aide claiming otherwise.
Mr. Maersk met Mr. Tinubu at a special session of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last weekend. The Nigerian leader asked the shipping mogul to complement his administration’s ongoing $1 billion investment in seaport reconstruction.
State House quoted Mr. Maersk as saying on Sunday, “We believe in Nigeria, and we will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships.”
However, contrary to a widely circulated statement by his media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, that Mr. Tinubu secured a $600 million investment deal to expand seaport infrastructure, the Maersk group said no such deal existed.
“We are not able to comment on any investment talks,” the group told UK newspaper Lloyd’s List on Tuesday. “Maersk has been present in Nigeria for 35 years and, as a global provider of logistics services, we remain committed to develop opportunities for growth to people, the port sector and businesses locally,” the Danish company told the newspaper.
The denial marks the latest in a trend of the Nigerian government parroting false claims about securing agreements with foreign entities. Last September, the State House announced that Dubai had lifted a visa ban on Nigerians, but this turned out to be false. Seven months after the announcement, Nigerians are still restricted from entering Dubai.
This incident raises questions about the credibility of the Nigerian government’s announcements regarding foreign investments and agreements. It remains to be seen how this will impact future negotiations and the country’s reputation on the global stage.
