Unknown flag replaces Qatar's during Buhari, Al Thani meeting

CAIRO – 3 March 2018: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari met with the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, on Thursday, however, the Qatari regime knew nothing of the visit.

Sheikh Al Thani was accompanied on his visit by the former Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani.

President Buhari received the former Qatari emir at the State House in Abuja.

Nigerian newspapers published photos of the visit; the photos included Sheikh Hamad, Buhari, several other officials, the Nigerian flag, and an “unknown flag”, rather than Qatar’s flag.

During the meeting, President Buhari welcomed the rise in foreign private investments in the country.

Sheikh Hamad was the head of a Qatari business delegation.

The Nigerian President adopted a new economic agenda that aims at moving the country from “over-reliance” on crude oil and food importation to increased domestic production.

Sheikh Al Thani expressed his delegation’s interest in investing in Nigeria’s oil, railway, avaiation and power sectors.

On June 5, the Anti-Terrorism Quartet (ATQ) of Egypt, the United Arab Emirate, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar over its support to terrorist groups and having close relations with the regional foe, Iran.

Bloomberg data showed that cutting ties with Qatar has forced the oil-rich emirate to seek alternative, yet more expensive, routes for trade, while its imports dropped in June 2017 by 40 percent compared to the same period in June 2016.