This was revealed on Thursday in Abuja, when Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares led a delegation to Nigerian Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama.

Albares stated that the focus of his first visit will be on fostering bilateral and economic cooperation and promised that the current ties between the two nations would be strengthened.

The Spanish minister commended the efforts so far by the Federal government in curbing insecurity, stating that it is ready to extend a helping hand to address the root causes of insecurity.

He said “Nigeria is one of the great regional actors, the first economy of the continent and an absolute pillar to ECOWAS. My visit is to give a new impetus to the relationship that is already strong and restate the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Spain in which five Memorandum of Understandings were signed and three treaties on judicial cooperation. Thanks to the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs as the visit was a success.

“My visit today, firstly, is on bilateral cooperation in which we have been working successfully. The economic field and cooperation is the absolute centre of our relationship. Spain is one of the best clients of Nigeria in the world. Very specifically, we are the second client of Nigeria in the world. We have been one of the largest clients in gas and petroleum for a long time. We want to continue to strengthen that energy relationship but the bilateral relationship is getting deeper. Most aspects have been covered.

“Security, is a common challenge to Nigeria and as a country, we want to offer our support to Nigeria in this challenge. We want to express officially our solidarity with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism. We commend Nigeria’s efforts in the fight against violence and terrorism and at the same time, we want to help Nigeria address the root causes of these conflicts. We are improving our relationship for the interests of the two countries in many other fields.”

In response, the minister of foreign affairs of Nigeria expressed appreciation for his counterpart and promised that their nations would keep cooperating, particularly in the field of the economy.

Onyeama said, “We are very close and deep economic partners. Nigeria is one of the primary suppliers of oil and gas and petroleum to Spain. We want to diversify our economic cooperation. Spain is a big player in the European Union and globally, so we want to see increased trade. We are particularly delighted as you spoke on insecurity. Not just military security but food security.

“Spain is a huge investor in Africa in the agricultural sector. Food security and agriculture are major priorities of the Nigerian government. We are delighted to see the cooperation in that area.

“We are delighted in the cooperation that we have in addressing insurgency and terrorism in the Sahel. We will continue to work together alongside the global community to address the security challenges we are facing in our sub-region.”

Buhari gave the assurance while speaking during a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations World Trade Organization in the Spanish capital at the beginning of his State Visit to the country.

This was contained in a statement titled ‘As Nigeria hosts tourism conference, President Buhari welcomes the world’, and signed by Buhari’s spokesman, Femi Adesina.

Addressing his host, Buhari described the granting of the hosting rights as ”further proof of Nigeria’s support for the vision of the organization and also an affirmation of the confidence reposed in our country by your organization.’’

He noted that the event would provide yet another opportunity for the country to showcase its tourism and creative industry to the whole world.

“It will also serve as an opportunity to extend our warm hospitality to the world and introduce the country’s leisure and business sectors to potential investors. We have not-so-well-known wonders to reveal!”

President Buhari assured participants from across the world of “a safe and secure environment as well as excellent facilities,” adding, “we look forward to welcoming all participants.”

In his remarks, UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili, said Buhari’s visit was a direct confirmation of how important tourism is to Nigeria, describing Nigeria as “a big country with huge resources in culture, nature, and diversity.

“We have a long-term commitment with Nigeria to develop tourism and attract more and more tourists to Nigeria. The numbers are very small at the moment and I think it’s a shame. Nigeria has to receive much more tourists to see the beauty and meet the people.”

The measure, AFP reports, was proposed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialist party and will come into effect after being published in the official state bulletin in coming days.

The move involved changes to the extant penal code – meaning anti-abortion activists who try and convince women not to terminate their pregnancies could face up to a year behind bars.

By this new law, anyone trying “to impede (a woman) from exercising her right to voluntarily interrupt pregnancy” through “bothersome, offensive, intimidating or threatening acts” will face jail time of between three and 12 months, or community service

In practice, the legislation criminalises protests outside of abortion clinics. The ban also applies to the harassment or intimidation of healthcare professionals working at abortion clinics.

Staunchly Catholic Spain decriminalised abortion in 1985 in cases of rape, if a foetus is malformed or if a birth poses a serious physical or psychological risk to the mother.

But the scope of the law was broadened in 2010 to allow abortion on demand in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Even so, Spanish women still face obstacles, with “most” obstetrician-gynaecologists in the public sector refusing to carry out such procedures, the OMC doctors’ association has said.

It is said that women visiting private clinics are sometimes confronted by anti-abortion activists, who often try to persuade them not to end their pregnancies.

Salvador Illa, the Health Minister, said the list would not be made accessible to the public or to employers.

In an interview with La Sexta television on Monday, Mr Illa emphasised that vaccination would not be mandatory.

He said “What will be done is a registry, which will be shared with our European partners… of those people who have been offered it and have simply rejected it, It is not a document which will be made public and it will be done with the utmost respect for data protection. People who are offered a therapy that they refuse for any reason, it will be noted in the register, that there is no error in the system, not to have given this person the possibility of being vaccinated. People who decide not to get vaccinated, which we think is a mistake, are within their rights. We are going to try to solve your doubts. Getting vaccinated saves lives, it is the way out of this pandemic”

This comes after Spain became the first European country to record more than a million cases of the virus.  Last Friday, 19,851 cases were reported along with 231 deaths. Some 20,986 positive tests were also confirmed on Thursday.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez on Sunday afternoon said his cabinet had approved a state of emergency that is set to remain in force until 9 May 2021.

“The reality is that Europe and Spain are immersed in a second wave of the pandemic, we are living in an extreme situation…it is the most serious in the last half-century. We have to protect our economic and work activity and preserve, as far as we can, the rhythms of our lives. Sacrifices will be indispensable. No one, not the government of Spain nor its regional governments, wants to impose a single restriction that isn’t necessary to flatten the curve and protect public health,”
As of Sunday, Spain had recorded 1,046,132 coronavirus cases and 34,752 related deaths.

Fernando Resino Carrillo, the mayor of Sotillo de las Palomas explained the decision, saying the vast majority of the 200 residents fall into the risk category because of their age and he is worried that the virus might spread.

He has ordered everyone to stay at home for at least ten days after a girl contracted Covid-19. But refused to disclose how the girl got the virus but tests are being carried out on children she has been in contact with.

The Ministry of Health of Castilla-La Mancha has also started tracking people who may have been in contact with her family in recent days.

According to reports, the girl is being isolated at home and has not needed hospital treatment while the relatives in her household have not shown symptoms but are awaiting their test results.

Spain has recorded 278,782 Coronavirus cases and 28,434 deaths in total.

María Teresadied in Paris on Thursday, March 26.
The princess was a professor at Sorbonne University in Paris, and at Complutense University in Madrid.

Her brother Prince Sixto Enrique de Borbon, the Duke of Aranjuez, announced on Facebook that she died after contracting COVID-19.

Along with a photo of the princess, the prince wrote “‘S.A.R. Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón communicates that this Thursday, March 26, 2020, has passed away in Paris, at eighty-six years old, his sister Maria Teresa de Bourbon Parma and Bourbon Busset, victim of coronavirus COVID-19.”

The country’s Health Ministry figures showed the number of deaths rose to 4,858, while cases jumped to 64,059.

The Government of Nigeria is restricting entry into the country for travelers from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, the United States of America, Norway, the United Kingdom, Netherlands & Switzerland.

The Federal Government is temporarily suspending all visas issued to nationals from these countries. Nigerians arriving from these countries will be subjected to supervised isolation for 14 days.

The Government is also advising all Nigerians to avoid travel to these countries. These restrictions will come into effect from Friday 20 March 2020, for 4 weeks, subject to review.