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Nigeria @ 63: Gains of Nigeria-China’s diplomatic relations

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Nigeria @ 63: Gains of Nigeria-China’s diplomatic relations

By: Fortune Abang

Nigeria’s strategic partnership with China has continued to attract tangible development since inception of the formal establishment of Nigeria-China diplomatic relations on Feb. 10, 1971.

Over the years, both countries worked closely together, particularly in celebration of their respective independence anniversary on October 1, annually.

The celebration centered on the commemoration of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the Independence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria often promote benefits of cooperation between them.

As both countries commemorate their anniversary this year, it has become important to glance at gains of Nigeria’s partnership with China so far, in terms of national development.

Such gains derived under framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) include; the Agricultural Projects tagged: Green Agriculture West Africa Ltd., (GAWAL) by CGCOC Group Co., Ltd in 2006.

Construction and Operation of Agriculture High-tech Abuja-Industrial Park in 2013, by GAWAL and development of Lekki Port, the first deep sea port in Nigeria by CHEC with the BOOT model, completed in October, 2022.

Also, construction of the Lekki Deep-Sea Port, Lagos Rail Mass Transit and Lagos-Ibadan Railway, Lagos Rail Mass Transit and Lagos-Ibadan Railway projects are expected to create nearly US$360 billion of economic benefits and 170,000 jobs for Nigeria.

Furthermore, the Abuja-Kaduna Railway, constructed by China Civil and Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
Nigeria-China relations which span above 52 years has indeed, stood the test of time with Nigeria benefitting strategically in their trade volume pegged at $5.4billion, as of the first quarter of 2023.

Nigeria and China share similarities, in terms of celebration of indepence every 1st of October, which mark an important day for both countries having the largest population in their respective continents.
Nigeria and China are both highly complimentary in economic structure and development strategy.

Obviously, Nigeria has enjoyed comprehensive and rapid development through cooperation with China and thereby, flourished in many spheres of economic and social development.
Nigeria, one of African countries that has attracted most investments from China is the third largest trading partner to the country.

According to Ms Yan Yuqing, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, trade volume between Nigeria and China reached $23.9 billion in 2022.
Yan said, “In spite of the impact of Covid-19, Nigeria still maintains its position as China’s largest civil engineering contracting market, second largest export destination, third largest trading partner and major investment destination.

“The opportunities arising from Chinese Modernisation will certainly benefit 200 million Nigerians.
“China is willing to work together with Nigeria to strengthen the development strategy dialogue, enhance close contacts at various levels to firmly support each other.

“To expand pragmatic cooperation in all aspects and promote development of China-Nigeria strategic partnership towards a deeper and higher level.”
Obviously, partnership between Nigeria and China brought about High-Quality Development of Belt and Road Cooperation, and many landmark construction projects by Nigeria-based Chinese enterprises.

Nigeria’s strategic partnership with China also enjoyed comprehensive and rapid development.

Cooperation between the two countries is flourishing, especially in the fields of politics, trade, infrastructure development, IT, agriculture and culture.

As of January 2023, the opening ceremony of Nigeria’s Lekki deep-Sea Port herald its operation as the largest deep-water port in West Africa constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company Limited.

In line with this, President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping had during the official exchange of pleasantries on the occasion of October 1, independence anniversary promised to deepen Nigeria-China ties.
The two leaders exchanged pleasantries on the occasion of Nigeria’s 62nd and China’s 73rd independence anniversary respectively.

In his letter, congratulating the Chinese president on the anniversary, Buhari said Nigeria’s relation with China achieved far-reaching and fruitful results on the basis of equity, mutual trust and mutual benefits.
According to him, Nigeria sought to elevate its strategic partnership with China to a new level.

Buhari said, “The bilateral ties between Nigeria and China have achieved far-reaching and fruitful results on the basis of equity, mutual trust and mutual benefits.
“We thank China for its support to us in various ways and are ready to seek more collaborations with you, as well as to elevate the Strategic Partnership between our two countries to a new level.”

For his part, Xi said the Sino-Nigerian relations enjoy sound momentum, with political mutual trust being enhanced, cooperation in various fields yielded fruitful results and coordination on international and regional affairs being closer.

“I highly value the development of China-Nigeria relations, and would like to join efforts with you to promote the strategic partnership between our two countries and the two peoples.”

Meanwhile, in his remarks during the 74th independence anniversary celebration of China, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, lauded Chinese for driving growth and development in the nation.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by Bimbo Salu-Hudeyin, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), said China had helped in the actualisation of significant projects in Nigeria.

According to him, the completion of the first phase of the Blue Line rail transportation from Marina to Mile-2 is one of the mutually beneficial partnerships between China and Lagos State.

“We commend the people of China for their incredible spirit that has continued to drive growth and development.
“Your outstanding and remarkable accomplishment in critical areas such as infrastructure, technological innovations, and aerospace technology, ecological development, cultural evolution etc, is most inspiring.

“The government of Lagos State cherishes the long standing beneficial relationship with the People’s Republic of China.
“This relationship has contributed immensely to the rapid growth of our economy, especially in the areas of trade infrastructure and road construction,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The analysts agreed that irrespective of the evolving international situation Nigeria-China pragmatic cooperation in major sectors also witnessed a rapid development, driven by wheels of guiding strategy, trade, investment and contracted projects, development assistance, and that a lot more could be achieved by deepening relations to build community with shared future.

Nigeria @ 63: Gains of Nigeria-China’s diplomatic relations

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.

“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.

“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.

“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.

The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).

He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.

Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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