President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday in Abuja pledged that Nigeria will
keep faith with all agreements signed with the People’s Republic of China.
The President, who received the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, at the
State House, said his administration is fully committed to the
infrastructural development of the country.
‘‘This administration is very serious about infrastructural development.
We want rail, road, power, skill acquisition for our people. We ought to
have developed beyond this point, but we neglected infrastructure when we
had the resources.
‘‘Now, we have to collaborate with you, and we will keep our side of the
bargain in all the agreements we have signed,” President Buhari said.
The Nigerian President had visited China in April, last year, as guest of
President Xi Jinping, and the two countries signed memoranda of
understanding on projects, running into billions of dollars.
Some of the projects due for immediate implementation include railways,
the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, among others, while the sum of 100 million
yuan would be released for agriculture demonstration centers.
In his remarks, the Chinese Foreign Minister described President Buhari’s
visit to China last year as “very successful,” adding that President Xi
Jinping looked forward to greater collaboration between the two countries.
Wang Yi lauded Nigeria for recognizing the “one China policy,” saying
President Buhari, who fought a civil war to keep Nigeria one, knows the
value of unity.
He also commended efforts being made by the President to diversify the
Nigerian economy, stressing that China will be a reliable partner in the
ongoing efforts to restructure the economy.
‘‘We will cooperate with you to achieve food self-sufficiency. We will
also get involved in industrialization, hydro power, and the military and
defense sector,’’ Wang Yi said.
The Chinese minister also said his country was pleased with the successes
recorded by President Buhari’s administration in the war against
terrorism.