Buhari to Ambassadors: Strive to promote trade, foreign direct investment

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged ambassadors-designate, consuls-general and charge’ d’ Affaires to continually project the strengths of Nigeria, showcase priorities of the government and uphold standards that will bring honour to the country.

President Buhari gave the charge at the virtual induction /orientation held for them at the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, auditorium.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, yesterday, the President told the diplomats to always be mindful of the policy direction of the government, particularly the nine priorities it had listed.

He further charged them to strive to promote trade, human capacity development, foreign direct investment and other areas of cooperation with countries at national and multilateral levels to support national growth and development.

He said:  “You must not forget that you have been posted to your respective bilateral and multilateral missions to represent and project Nigeria as a great and indivisible nation and a very attractive investment destination.

“In our effort to achieve realistic development-oriented domestic and foreign policies, the government has identified nine priority areas to guide our policy directions and thrust within the time frame of 2019-2023.

“These are: build a thriving and sustainable economy;     enhance social inclusion and reduce poverty; enlarge agricultural output for food security and export; attain energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products; expand transport and other infrastructural development; expand business opportunities, entrepreneurship and industrialization; expand access to quality education, affordable healthcare and productivity of Nigerians.’’

The President also noted that the priorities include building a system to fight corruption, improve governance, create social cohesion and improve security for all.

“I, therefore, urge all of you to be guided by these identified priority goals, as well as your various station charters which highlight specific mandates and guidelines on government’s expectation. We expect you to fight hard for Nigeria and for Nigerians abroad.”

“You must strive to promote trade, human capacity development, foreign direct investment and other areas of cooperation with countries at national and multilateral levels to support our national growth and development,’’ Buhari said.

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He said national and global resources had continued to shrink, a situation compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the government would continue to innovate and cope with a new norm in order to contain the catastrophic consequences of the pandemic.

The President said the world must resolutely commit itself to global concerted actions to fight and defeat the common enemy together.

He stated further:  “Nigeria’s diplomacy must make sufficient contributions to common global challenges on how this health pandemic can be contained and eventually defeated.

“But we must not forget that traditional challenges of terrorism, violent extremism, climate change, poverty, population explosion, hunger and other manifestations of insecurity, including cybercrimes, drug abuse, child trafficking, irregular migration as well as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which have negatively impacted Nigeria and Africa, remain part of our nation’s critical challenges.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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