BY Ebunoluwa Olafusi
President Muhammadu Buhari says China’s support has tremendously helped Nigeria in the fight against COVID-19.
Buhari commended the Chinese government in a letter addressed to President Xi Jinping to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties between Nigeria and China.
The president said China has been working with Nigeria and other African countries to safeguard the lives and health of citizens since the outbreak of the disease.
Buhari expressed satisfaction with the progress of the bilateral ties between Nigeria and the Asian country and reiterated his administration’s readiness to work with China to make the 2021 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) a success.
“Nigeria is very satisfied with the progress of bilateral relations, and we thank China for its support to us in various ways; in building of rail, road, power, defence, and many other areas,” a statement signed by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari to have said.
“Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has been working with Nigeria and other African countries to safeguard the lives and health of our citizens, adding new dimensions to our friendship. We acknowledge that Chinese support tremendously strengthened our effort against the pandemic.
“In recent years, Nigeria and China have also witnessed the steady development of their strategic partnership. In the face of significant challenges faced by the international community, the two sides are upholding a common position of preserving multilateralism, not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and safeguarding the common interest of developing countries.
“This year is vital for China-Nigeria relations. The FOCAC has become a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between Nigeria and China, as well as between Africa and China. Nigeria is ready to work with China to make the new session of FOCAC this year a success.”
In April 2020, a Chinese medical team visited Nigeria to provide assistance in combating the pandemic.
However, the visit caused controversy as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) kicked against it.
The NMA asked the federal government to empower Nigerian medical practitioners to perform better but the government said it could not reject the country’s offer to assist Nigeria in such a trying period
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