HON. BUBA ASSURES OF CLOSER TIES WITH THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
… Says Nigeria’s Revenue Diversification Initiative Must Take a Cue from the Country.
Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub,has said the close ties and co-operation Nigeria and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam currently enjoy will be better appreciated in the years ahead given Nigeria’s present quest to diversify its economy from oil to other sources of revenue receipts, especially agriculture.
The lawmaker stated the above recently in Abuja when the out- going Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E,Ambassador Anh Pham Tuan visited members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives to formally inform them of his planned return to Vietnam after a three- year tenure as Ambassador Plenipotentiary for his country.
The Gombi/Hong,Adamawa State, Rep.,who took time to pour encomiums on the glowing attributes of Ambassador Tuan, said the Vietnamese diplomat was leaving behind a ton of goodwill and support from his host country after achieving a series of very laudable successes,including ensuring that there are copious strong relations between the Governments of Nigeria and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, their both peoples and on the basis of Parliament to Parliament.
While promising to extend the good relationship the National Assembly has enjoyed with the Ambassador and their Embassy to his successor,Hon. Buba regretted that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs could not undertake a scheduled visit to Vietnam in November last year,which,he informed coincided with his trip to the 174th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and his visit to some Nigerian Embassies in America and Europe. He,however,assured the Ambassador that the visit would take place in February 2020.
He said:
” For us ,Vietnam is a strategic economic partner to our country. Apart from our growing current export and import activities,there are lessons we ought to learn from your country,especially at a time when our nation must look elsewhere away from oil revenue. You have achieved food sufficiency and ,equally,export agricultural products to other countries of the world, earning foreign excange in the process and growing an economy that favourably competes with others in your region. We will visit you to explore further areas for our both countries to partner upon and to learn from your experience,as I said before,” Hon. Buba ended.
Speaking earlier during the visit, Ambassador Tuan said he had in the last three years enjoyed everything in Nigeria. He said he was happy to have enjoyed a great deal of support from the National Assembly, the political parties,business people and from all levels and departments of government. All of these,he emphasized,had seen an increase in the volume of trade between Nigeria and his country,which in the last three years grew from 300 Million USD to 520 Million USD. This ,he said,has raised the current discussions on visa exemption for citizens of both countries.
Continuing, Ambassador Tuan chronicled the visits between officials of the both countries over time,while noting that greater efforts were being made on a whole lot of bilateral relations and agreements,which will be consummated by way of economic co- operation between our governments,our business people and political co-operation engineered by the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam ( CPV),the planned visit of Members of the Nigerian Parliament, which,he informed, would precede the planned visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Vietnam later in the year.
Meanwhile, a Letter of Commendation has been issued to the out- going Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. According to the letter,which was signed by the Chairman of the Committee,Rt Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, on behalf of the members of the Committee and delivered to the Vietnamese Embassy in Abuja,Ambassador Tuan earned the official commendation by dint of hard work and through his exemplary service in Nigeria as a representative of the Vietnamese Government and people.
Nkem Anyata- Lafia
Special Adviser to the House Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs ( Media and Public Affairs).
~January 9,2020~ .