Nigerian leader Buhari faces criticism over many foreign trips

ABUJA, Tuesday

Undaunted by criticisms over his frequent international trips when Nigeria was in a dire situation, President Muhammadu Buhari is at it again.

He has arrived in China, his 26th trip since May 29 when he was sworn in.

The President and his supporters have been quick to point out that such trips had restored the image and reputation of the nation and yielded other positive results.

The achievements, according to them, include the increase in foreign direct investments, foreign aid and the renewed commitments to the war against corruption. Political activist Olisa Metuh, said: “A country where there is no petrol, no electricity and where salaries are delayed, require the presence of its leader at home to address these problems.’’

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) indicated it would organise a one-day nationwide strike to draw the attention of the problems to the President. 

However, the Buhari administration believes the myriad problems bedevilling Nigeria could be solved with the assistance of the international community.

The visit to China is expected to yield a $2 billion interest free loan, which would enable Nigeria to fund the budget deficit and ongoing infrastructure development.

The Nigeria-China relations go beyond diplomatic and bilateral agreements. They include the influx of Chinese goods into Nigerian markets as well as the use of the Chinese technology in infrastructure development.

It has been observed that people-to-people and cultural relations between the two states had become increasingly vibrant over the years.

Nigeria and China formally established diplomatic relations in February 1971, and that was followed by the first Chinese exhibition in October 1972 in the then Nigerian capital of Lagos.

The good relationship has led to the exchange of several visits by leaders of both countries at various levels, which have led to the signing of different and agreements in various sectors.

Besides the traditional bilateral diplomatic cooperation between Nigeria and China, the two nations, in 2005, established a strategic partnership for more intense engagement.

Since then, relations between China and Nigeria have evolved remarkably with the countries partnering in different areas.

The Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Zao Lingiang, highlighted the major feats in relations between both parties.

He said: ‘‘Twenty sixteen  marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship and the 11th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nigeria.

“During those years, economic and trade cooperation has always been like an anchor and propeller of China-Nigeria relations.”

The counsellor explained that the statistics of the General Administration of Customs of China indicated that total bilateral trade volume between China and Nigeria, from 2004 to 2015, were worth $101 billion.

Meanwhile, Nigeria agreed Tuesday to include China’s yuan currency in its foreign reserves as Beijing seeks closer ties and greater political and economic heft on the resource-rich continent.

At a signing ceremony in Beijing, Presidents Xi and Buhari presided over the signing of six agreements.

They covered industrial activity, aviation and infrastructure investment cooperation between the world’s second largest economy and Africa’s most populous nation, which has struggled in the face of plunging oil prices and an $11 billion budget deficit this year.

The Nigerian central bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China signed an agreement allowing transactions to be conducted in yuan and for the currency to be included in Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.