President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria is ready to provide counterpart funding on all agreements reached with China for the provision of infrastructure that directly improves the livelihood of Nigerians.
He stated this when he received Yang Jiechi, Special Envoy of the President of China, Xi Jinping, at State House, Abuja, on Thursday.
The president expressed deep appreciation for China’s sustained and genuine efforts to improve Nigeria’s infrastructure development, especially in the sectors of road, railway, aviation, as well as power and water resources.
‘‘Now that we have a government in place (with the Ministers), we know the provision of infrastructure is very important. It (Infrastructure) provides job opportunities and economic sustainability which are very important for political stability,’’ he said.
The Nigerian leader also underlined Nigeria and China’s cooperation at the international arena.
He said: ‘‘At the international level, we appreciate the support we give to each other and very importantly this must be sustained.
‘‘Nigeria is determined to play its role wherever China’s interest is concerned.’’
President Buhari appreciated China’s support for Nigeria’s presidency of the 74th UN General Assembly.
On Lake Chad, the President emphasised the need for sustained support from China on the recharging of The Lake.
He noted that Nigeria and countries in the region have a lot to benefit from Chinese expertise and technology on inter-basin water transfer.
‘‘China has the technology, the people and the resources to help Lake Chad Basin countries because not many people in the region appreciate our problem of being near the Sahara desert and its influence on our population and climate change, which is affecting over 20 million people living there,’’ he said.
President Buhari also welcomed the offer by the Special Envoy for close partnership between Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress and the Communist Party of China.
Delivering the message of President Xi, the Special envoy, who led a high-powered Chinese delegation to the meeting, assured President Buhari of China’s readiness to improve strategic partnership with Nigeria.