Foreign news

Nigeria-China Relations: Nigerian envoy in Shanghai highlights opportunities, others

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2023

The Gleamer

By John Okeke

Recently, the Consulate General of Nigeria in Shanghai, China organized a townhall meeting.

The theme of meeting was tagged ‘Exploring Opportunities for Nigerians in East China: Consular Support’.

In his opening remarks, the Nigeria’s Consul-General in Shanghai, Chimezie Okeoma Ogu, stated that the reason for the convening of the meeting was the goodwill effort of the Consulate to highlight and bring to the fore the inherent opportunities available as well as the challenges pose to Nigerian students and businessmen in host country often encounter to succeed in China. He stated that hitherto, the impression was that Nigerians living in China suffered lots harassment, attack and intimidation while pursuing their businesses legitimately.

According to Amb. Ogu, “the story is now different as many Nigerians are doing well in various fields of endeavours such in Academia, Corporate world, businesses and others. That’s the reason behind the assemblage of these myriad of guest speakers to talk and share in their experiences, and trajectory of your success stories in China.”

Continuing, the Consul General stated that the Consulate has intervened and corporated with several hardworking Nigerians to record successes in their chosen profession.

He mentioned that the Mission recently supported two Nigerian nationals in their quest to be granted permanent resident citizenship by issuing appropriate Notes on their behalf to host Foreign Ministry.

The two receiptant of the Permanent resident card visited the Mission to thank the Consul General as a show of gratitude for the Consulate support in their journey of application to be granted their permanent residency in China.

Furthermore, the Consul General reiterated the need for the townhall meeting as follow up to the first maiden edition was to bring all Nigerians under one family group and to create awareness as well as enlighten Nigerian nationals on the peculiarities of doing business in China as well as the prevailing risks so as to be equipped with the knowledge and information necessary to guide them towatds the part of success while doing their legitimate business hitch-free.

On the welfare of Nigerians in his areas of jurisdiction, the Consul General stated ,”the Mission very often has had to intervene in supporting in stranded Nigerians financially such as in settling medically receipts and consumables. Stipends to released intimates who are freed from detention who found themselves in difficult situations to enable return to Nigeria.”

Amb. Ogu cited a recent occurrence of a student who was deceased and the Mission assisted and repatriated the remains to the family back home in Nigeria. He also stated that the Mission engaged the insurance firm in host country to redeem the deceased insurance claims which the Consulate successfully executed and the insurance claims was paid to the Mission and the money was released and transfered to the family back in Nigeria.

In conclusion, the Consul General stated the duty of the Consulate is to protect is to ensure the protection of lives and properties of Nigerians in China.

The meeting witnessed the participation of 50 Nigerians both in China and Nigeria during the online town hall meeting. All the guest speakers shared their personal experiences and encouraged Nigerians living in China work hard and be law abiding.

Prof Yekini Shehu shared his career experience in the academic institutions in China and expressed particularly the fair and accepted promotion procedures in China based on merit. Chief Ibe Udensi who is successful in the textile and logistics business in China challenged Nigerians doing business in China to be honest in their business dealings in host country while obeying the laws of the land.

Mr A. M. Dogondaji, the Consular affairs officer in the Consulate also spoke about the need for Nigerians to assess the inherent opportunities within the laws of host’s Consular policies for a meaningful successful living in China. Others who spoke during the Townhall meeting were Engr. Chidi Osisioma of LandRover, a British auto company in Shanghai. Engr. Nathinel, the President of NIDO and others participants who made laudable contributions during the meeting.

In his closing remarks, Mr Tafik Coker, Consular officer in charge of Education, information and Culture thanked His Excellency, Mr. Chimezie Okeoma Ogu for organizing the insightful townhall meeting, as well as all the participants and panelists who contributed to the success of the meeting. He stated that the Mission is working hard since the reopening of Chinese birder to recalibrate the promotion, cooperation and collaborations between Nigerian and Chinese universities especially in the education sector.

The meeting came to a close as the Consul General thanked everyone that participated in the meeting. He promised that the Mission will continue to articulate ideas on ways to further the welfare of Nigerians living in China to enable them succeed.

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Foreign news

French Envoy Seeks Collaboration With NAN To Boost Seamless Relationship

Published

1 month ago

February 5, 2025

The Gleamer

The new French envoy to Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier, on Wednesday called for collaboration with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) toward strengthening the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.

Fonbaustier, who is the French ambassador to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, made the call when he paid a courtesy visit to Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, NAN’s Managing Director, in Abuja.
The ambassador said that his purpose of visiting was to pay tribute to the MD, and to seek collaboration in three areas with a view to promoting stronger, seamless and fruitful partnership between both countries.

He added that Nigeria and its people were hospitable, especially to the foreigners and ambassadors alike.

He added that Nigeria was a country with so much energy, strength, stamina and so many talents.

In Nigeria, with the population of this size, it is inevitable that the elites of the country are very outstanding, “and there may be a Franco/Nigeria moments now”, he jokes.

According to him, France and Nigeria can collaborate more and learn from each other.
“I could feel it particularly during the state visit of President Bola Tinubu which took place in November 2024.

“I was there and I could see the intensity, the strength and the scope of the partnership, and I am here to scale up that partnership in all sectors.

“I am coming here for three reasons, first, to pay a tribute to the NAN MD and his team for the quality of this agency. We can testify that the contents that you publish are very factual, and also very well set up and structured.

“You do fact checking and you really do try to provide the community with quality information. I think, as a French ambassador, I can recognise that as part of a living democracy,” he said.

The French ambassador said the second reason for the visit was to intimate the NAN MD of France’s eagerness to go on partnership with NAN saying he hoped for assurance of a seamless, fluid and easy relationship.

He said that his third reason stemmed from his observation that NAN recently signed some partnership framework agreements with Egypt and China, saying “it may be time to think of balancing this partnership with others”.

“Especially with French, and to talk with Agence France-Presse (AFP) to see if there’s ground for a closer relationship between NAN and AFP.

“Which is also a recognised agency like yours, and I bet you the sky will be the limit to the collaboration, ’’he said.

Responding, the NAN MD informed the envoy that the agency was African’s biggest news content provider on account of its size.

Ali gave the envoy a little details of the agency’s operation and its outreach, saying “as our continent’s biggest news content provider, we have offices nationwide and in selected African countries.

“We have offices in countries such as South Africa, Cote d’ivoire, Addis Ababa, and then we have offices also beyond the shores of Africa. We have in New York and we are the only resident wire service in the United Nations.

“At a time in the past, the agency had 11 foreign offices, including Moscow, and presently, we are trying to re-open some of our shut offices, especially in London.
“We value partnership and understanding that we have with similar news organisation such as Reuters and, incidentally, we have a long standing relationship with AFP which you just raised.
“I know for years we have exchange of news between NAN and AFP but it’s a cooperation that we will like to strengthen and with your greater involvement,’’ he said.

The MD commended the ambassador for reaching out and engaging with some Nigerians communities to douse the tension of the allegation made by the Nigeriens.

He also lauded the envoy’s leadership and visibility to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, “which has helped to douse the perception and misconceptions about France, especially in the Sahel”.
“I think you have helped to reverse some of this perceptions. I thank you for the kind words that you said about the agency and about our management.

“We also see partnership as an important tool in checking the spread of fake news.
“We’ve seen instances where fake news has done great deal of damage, and with the coming of social media it has done even greater damage.

“Our country is facing a lot of challenges, one of which is the increasing insecurity, and the social media has been used by those who do not want to see our country to prosper,” Ali said.
He further said that NAN was a credible news agency that always fact check to correct the wrong narratives by those who are in the business of causing troubles.

He also told the envoy that the agency has its content in the Nigerian indigenous languages, starting with Hausa and it would proceed to Yoruba and Igbo languages later, “then later in future to French.

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