NIGERIA AND BANGLADESH TO DEEPEN CO-OPERATION AND ECONOMIC TIES AS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS RECEIVES COUNTRY’S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO NIGERIA ON COURTESY VISIT .

    Nigeria and Bangladesh are set to further deepen co-operation and ties in the areas of bilateral trade, Parliamentary co-operation and support for each other’s quest in the different multilateral corporations and groups to which they both belong. The above is the outcome of a visit to the National Assembly,Monday, by the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria,H.E, Mr Shameem Ahsan,who was at the National Assembly to meet with the new leadership and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. While stating the why and wherefore of his visit,Ambassador Ahsan said Nigeria and Bangladesh had so much in common and ought to engage more meaningfully in trade,politics,world affairs and socio-cultural co-operation. He said ,with a population of almost two hundred million and ranking number six (6) in global oil production,apart from its rich agricultural land, Nigeria and Bangladesh with an equally large population of over a hundred and thirty million people and a GDP of 7.6 ,including a rich production capacity in agriculture and a textile industry that is only second to that of China,the two countries ought to do more than the current volume of trade between them. He also used the occasion to request the support of Nigeria in the bid for his country to host the next D8 Countries’ meeting and ,also,welcomed shared perspectives on power where he observed that Bangladesh has attained 22,000 Megawatts for its industrialization and sundry uses,while adding that there was also a lot to share between the both countries in Nigeria’s vast tourism potential and inter-parliamentary co-operation. Responding, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, who chronicled several earlier visits between the both countries,said it was one thing to together belong to such world bodies like the UN,OIC, D8 Countries, FIFA and the rest,as Ambassador Ahsan had earlier observed, but another thing to effectively use our influence for mutual benefits. He promised to,alongside the House Committee on Parliamentary Co-operation, set in motion activities that would facilitate inter-parliamentary co- operation and union between Nigeria and Bangladesh. The Gombi/Hong Rep ,also,used the occasion to call on Bangladesh to support Nigeria by encouraging the revamping of the cotton industry, which he said was a thriving subsector that provided gainful employment for millions of Nigerians in the 1960s and 70s. He said Nigeria had a lot to learn from the mechanised agriculture of Bangladesh and sued for support for the sector in the areas of food processing,preservation and storage . The meeting, which ended amidst fanfare and exchange of gifts on both sides,was attended by members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and other dignitaries that accompanied the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria to the event. Nkem Anyata-Lafia Special Adviser( Media & Public Affairs) to the Chairman of the Committee. October 29,2019