The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has assured Nigerians and the international community that the trying period the country is going through would soon be over.
He said that the country would soon stabilize and return to the path of growth.
He spoke when he received the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, in his office.
Ekweremadu, who also assured the Chinese government that the National Assembly would give the required legislative support and backing to the outcome of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to China, further appealed for a greater involvement of the Chinese government in Nigeria’s economy, adding that once Nigeria was strengthened, the rest of Africa, have been strengthened.
He said: “We are indeed thrilled by the economic advancement of China. You had your ups and downs, but it appears China, is consistently looking upwards. So on this note; I will like to appeal that the relationship between Nigeria and China needs to continue to improve because the whole of West Africa, and indeed Africa, will benefit from the spiral effect of that relationship.
“No doubt, we do have our challenges as a country, but we believe and trust in God that we will overcome. So, we just need the understanding and support of China and indeed the international community, while we are going through this trying period. We are very hopeful that things will stabilize in Nigeria and we will return to the path of growth.
“So we just call for the support and understanding of the international community, as we are doing everything possible as a government, to ensure that we earn the respect of our friends, and indeed members of the international community. We believe that working together with China, Nigeria will blossom to the benefit of its citizens and the rest of Africa”.
The Deputy President of the Senate commended the outgoing Ambassador for ensuring a good working relationship between China and Nigeria.
He added: “We have seen a lot of improvement in Nigeria-China relations during your time and we do hope and believe, your successor will continue in that regard. We have had economic ties, which are strong. We have also received a lot of support from your government, especially in the areas of railway and aviation development. I can only wish the best in all your future endeavours”.
Earlier in his address, Ambassador Xiaojie commended the strong bilateral ties between Nigeria and China. He also stressed the need to continue building bilateral parliamentary relations between the two countries.
He assured that China would always support Nigeria on the part of growth and development partner.