Nigeria And Brazil Affirm Dedication to Reinforce Economic Relations
Nigeria and Brazil have affirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral relations across various sectors as they aim to foster mutual economic growth.
According to a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the Nigerian President on Media and Publicity, he revealed that President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil held discussions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the AU Summit. Both leaders acknowledged the past missed opportunities for mutually beneficial business engagements but expressed determination to focus on future prospects.
Speaking on this Brazil President Lula Da Silva said,
“Nigeria and Brazil need stronger relations from the academic viewpoint; from the cultural viewpoint; from the commercial viewpoint; from the agricultural viewpoint; from the industrial relations viewpoint; and from trade relations viewpoint.
“It is meaningless that there are no direct flights from Lagos to Sao Paulo and vice versa. I cannot understand that. We have to sit at a table and find a solution for that”.
The Brazilian leader added that Nigeria and Brazil once had a trade volume of more than $10 billion in the past, which has now plummeted to $1.6 billion.
“I am back to try to restore; to reclaim our good relations with Nigeria. I cannot imagine that a country of 216 million people and another of 213 million people do not have strong relations” he added.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu agreed with his counterpart, saying Nigeria will stop ‘at nothing to remove all encumbrances to business.’
In his words,
“We have a very vibrant population of young Nigerians who are trainable, dependable, and should be empowered. The economic potential of Nigeria is enormous.Brazil and Nigeria share similarities. Let us forget old mistakes.
“The phenomenal growth achieved by Brazil in agriculture is exemplary. We will work with you to mechanise our food production systems to enhance quality and quantity of output. ”I will work with you to re-energize Nigeria’s relations with Brazil across the board”.
