President Bola Tinubu is set to return to Abuja on Sunday, following a diplomatic tour that took him to China and a brief stay in the United Kingdom.
This was disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in a statement issued on Saturday.
Tinubu departed Abuja for Beijing on August 29, beginning his official visit to China on September 2 with a high-level meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People. During the visit, President Tinubu was given a ceremonial welcome, which included a 21-gun salute and an inspection of the guard of honour.
The discussions between Tinubu and Jinping resulted in the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Nigeria and China. These agreements aim to strengthen cooperation in several sectors, including Nigeria’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, nuclear energy applications, and human resource development under the Global Development Initiative. Additional agreements were reached on media collaboration between the China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority.
President Tinubu also engaged in bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. During his time in China, he attended a banquet and cultural gala hosted by President Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, marking the commencement of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
In a major infrastructure development, Nigeria signed an MoU with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to construct the Lagos Green Rail Line, a 68-kilometre rail project that will connect the Lekki Free Zone to the Marina and integrate with the Blue Line. Additionally, an MoU was signed for a $1 billion iron ore-to-steel project in Kogi State between Nigeria’s Chart and Capstone Integrated Limited and China’s Sinomach-He.
President Tinubu also visited Huawei and CHEC during his stay in China, before attending the opening of the FOCAC Summit, where he delivered a keynote address on global peace, advocating for multilateralism and international cooperation as necessary foundations for global stability.
