By Omonu YG Nelson
In order to revitalise Nigeria’s ailing economy, the Director, Centre for China Studies Abuja, Dr. Charles Onainuju, has emphasised the importance of Nigeria’s cooperation with China in boosting the country’s economy.
Speaking at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Abuja, at the weekend, Onainuju noted that China’s partnership with Africa is not transactional, but rather a long-standing relationship built on mutual benefits.
He said, China’s ability to lift more than 800 million citizens out of poverty is worth emulating.
According to Onainuju, “China’s cooperation with Africa has the capacity to contribute practical input, practical aggregate, to our national production… We need to engage partners who can contribute to boosting our national aggregates.”
He highlighted the significance of Nigeria’s relationship with China, particularly in the areas of trade and investment. “China has always shared common trenches with Africa… We have a duty to speak to them, to speak for them,” he said.
Onainuju also emphasised the need for Nigeria to design policies that encourage local manufacture and maximise the opportunities presented by China’s growing market. “We need a policy instrument to maximise the disadvantage of being potentially the next workshop of the world,” he said.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to understand the importance of serving and toiling to achieve greatness, rather than chasing material wealth. “If our people understand, we can give the advantage that we currently and objectively have to be the next workshop of the world,” he concluded.