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Nigeria, China Sign Culture and Tourism Statute
Nigeria, China Sign Culture and Tourism Statute
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China have signed a joint Culture and Tourism Statute and inaugurated a sub-committee that would further strengthen bilateral cooperation between both countries.
Representatives of both countries signed the act and inaugurated the committee during a virtual event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday.
During the event, China’s Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Zhang Xu, while recalling that Nigeria and China “have enjoyed good bilateral relations in the past 50 years,” noted that culture and tourism have played critical roles in strengthening the ties.
He revealed that the aim of adopting the act and establishing the sub-committee was to promote inter-cultural collaboration and connectivity between the Chinese and Nigerian people in furtherance of China-Africa relations.
He said the establishment of an inter-governmental committee with Nigeria is the first-ever between China and Africa, noting that this action testify to how important and strategic China considered Nigeria.
He said: “As important contributors to the strategic partnership between our two countries, culture and tourism should play greater roles in increasing the people-to-people connectivity for the benefit of the two countries.
“That is the mission of the culture and tourism sub-committee that we are establishing today.
“Therefore, members of our ministries and sub-committees must make good use of the platform in alignment with the objectives of FOCAC, its eight ministerial meetings, Belt and Road Initiative, and FOCAC Action Plan 2022-2024.”
He added that: “We must work together to offset the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact and the planned programmes that the sub-committee covers such as culture, tourism, publishing heritage, library, and museum.
“Our goal must always be to promote our interculturality, and cultural collaboration, full relationship and connectivity between China and Nigeria people in the new areas of China-Africa relations.”
Zhang advised the sub-committee to ensure the promotion of activities and events that would further boost cultural ties between both countries.
He said: “I would like to propose the following; keep working on events like Happy Chinese New Year, Chinese and African culture in focus, and resume mutual visits of artists as soon as the pandemic situation allows.
“Also, we should continue to carry out capacity building programmes in culture and tourism and support cooperation between Chinese and Nigerian cultural businesses.”
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On his part, the Ambassador of China to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun said that the establishment of the Act and sub-committee on Culture and tourism is a good start to a greater future with new dynamics.
The Ambassador said that in a generation where the youth are taking the lead with great innovations, reinvigorating the culture and tourism sector will help boost both economies with mutual benefits.
According to him: “The establishment of the sub-committee on Culture and tourism is really a milestone.
“I do believe we are doing good things now because culture and tourism mean a lot to young people. We have already embarked on a new journey of mutually beneficial cooperation and we all believe that a thousand miles begin with a single step.
“The potentials of our cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism will surely be further released and a better tomorrow must belong to us.”
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Dr Ifeoma Anyawutaku, who led Nigerian team to the signing, said the potentialities in the creative sector in Nigeria were untapped and that the new cooperation would help facilitate that.
She said Nigeria will also leverage this to diversify its economy by adequately harnessing the potentials in the culture and tourism sector.
Anyawutaku said: “While taking a cursory look at the Statutes of the sub-committee on Culture and Tourism, Nigeria, as well as China have reviewed our achievements and experiences in the cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation.
“Under the framework of the Forum on China and Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). This evaluation and experiences will help reposition the culture and tourism sector. For the development of both countries and the reinforcement of our bilateral cooperation.”
The establishment of the sub-committee and drafting of the act was an outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the foreign ministers of both countries with the aim of boosting bilateral ties.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi had signed the MoU on behalf of his country during his visit to Nigeria while his Nigerian counterpart, Geoffrey Onyeama signed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Nigeria, China Sign Culture and Tourism Statute
UNICEF: Over 9 million youth empowered through innovative partnerships in Nigeria
By Our Reporter
The UNICEF Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA) Public-Private-Youth-Partnership Platform today convened its annual Steering Committee at the Airtel Headquarters in Lagos to celebrate three years of groundbreaking achievements and set ambitious targets for the future. This meeting reaffirmed GenU 9JA’s commitment to transforming the lives of millions of Nigerian youths by connecting them to opportunities for skills development, digital learning, and livelihood pathways. The meeting was attended by GenU 9JA partners from the government, private sector, civil society, UN organizations, and young people from across Nigeria.
Since its inception, UNICEF GenU 9JA has empowered over 9 million young Nigerians, surpassing the three-year target of 7.5 million. This milestone positions the initiative well on its journey to achieving its 2030 goal of connecting 20 million young people with opportunities for growth and impact. The committee reviewed progress across its three core pillars: connectivity and digital learning, workplace readiness, and youth engagement. Key partners presented updates on their respective contributions, underscoring how collaboration has driven success.
Speaking at the event, Carl Cruz, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, emphasized the transformative potential of digital access, citing the ongoing UNICEF-Airtel Reimagine Education Program, a part of the GenU 9JA initiative. “Airtel is proud to play a role in ensuring no young Nigerian is left behind in this digital age. We are encouraged by the success recorded so far among the 1,260 schools connected through our partnership,” he said.
Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), highlighted the impact of youth entrepreneurship: “Young people are the engines of Africa’s economic transformation. Since 2015, the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme has empowered over 20,000 young entrepreneurs, creating more than 400,000 jobs. Our BeGreen Africa initiative will now support over 400 young entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa with green-focused training, mentorship, and seed capital to advance sustainable ventures.”
Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Nigeria Representative, reiterated the urgency for continued investment in youth: “The future of any nation lies in the hands of its children and youth. By providing skills, opportunities, and a platform for engagement, we are not only changing individual lives but also shaping a brighter future for Nigeria.”
UNICEF: Over 9 million youth empowered through innovative partnerships in Nigeria
Borno: Primary School Teachers Jubilate as N70k Minimum Wage Hit Accounts
… Zulum pays the best wage in Northeast so far -NLC
By: Michael Mike
Thousands of primary school teachers in Borno State were thrown into excitement on Friday when Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, approved the implementation of N70,000 minimum wage.
This was one week after the N70k minimum wage was paid to civil servants working for Borno State Government for their October salaries.
The new salary hit the accounts of primary school teachers on Thursday as many posted screenshots of their alerts on different social media platforms.
Zulum announced the approval of the pay rise for workers in the state on October 10 in a meeting with the minimum wage implementation committee members. During this meeting, he also approved N3 billion for the payment of entitlements to families of civil servants that died in Borno State.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Labour Congress, Borno State Chapter, has described the minimum wage paid by Borno State government as the best so far in the northeast region.
The Chairman of NLC, Comr Inuwa Yusuf, made the commendation last week in Maiduguri.
“Let me also join in commending the Executive Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, for serving our people, especially the workers,” Comr Yusuf reiterated.
He added, “After a series of meetings, we harmonised the wage table which was applied in the last couple of days. Our members (civil servants ) have called in and expressed their gratitude. We felt it was a very nice one, and we believe other states in the northeast can not be better than us; we have seen what a few other States have paid, and we don’t know of other states that will pay later as now, our state is leading. We have to commend His Excellency for this giant stride.”
Borno: Primary School Teachers Jubilate as N70k Minimum Wage Hit Accounts
China Reiterates Commitment to Promoting Cultural Exchange with Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The Director of the China Cultural Center in Nigeria (CCCN), Mr Yang Jianxing has reiterated the interest of the Chinese government to promoting cultural exchange with Nigeria, noting that the cultural fiesta organised in the country by China is aimed at achieving this.
Yang, the Director of CCCN, said this at the opening of the 12th China-Nigeria Culture Fiesta 2024 Dancing Competition hosted by the center in Abuja.
The cultural fiesta was organised by the FCT Secondary Education Board (SEB) in conjunction with the CCCN to enhance people to people communication with both countries (China and Nigeria)
Yang said that culture is the foundation of national development and the driving force of social progress, adding that China and Nigeria are cultural giants with a long history.
He also noted that the fiesta aims to build understanding of Chinese culture and people and to promote China-Nigeria friendship.
He said culture plays an important role in the historical process of national independence and revitalisation, adding that the China Embassy in Nigeria, and the Cultural Centre have been working with FCT Secondary Education to jointly hold China-Nigeria Cultural Fiesta.
On his part, the Director/Secretary FCT SEB,
Dr Mohammed Ladan expressed his appreciation to the Cultural Counselor and the Chinese Embassy for sponsoring the event annually and providing prizes to the schools.
Ladan represented by Fatima Babba
Director Co-curricular, said that the event has been going on annually for more than a decade.
“The event showcases Nigerian and Chinese Arts in the form of dances, thereby promoting cultural exchange between the duo and the 12 Chinese Corner Students.
“This annual event is significant to our schools because it provides an avenue for the students to socialise and at the same time earn very good prizes that have been helpful to the schools.
“Our collaboration has been of mutual benefit and we look forward to more beneficial cooperation,” Ladan said.
She said SEB would continue to promote Chinese Culture in FCT schools and Nigeria as a whole, thereby improving cultural exchange in the 51 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations,” Babba said.
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