Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, has blamed the inability of Nigeria to leverage adequately on its bilateral relations in trade and investment with China on policy inconsistency even as he charged the Federal Government to show more discipline and consistency in policy formulation and implementation.
Wali made this call during a round table dialogue on “China Initiated Belt and Roads” FOCAC process and the prospects of deepening China/Africa and China/Nigeria Cooperation,” organized by the Center for China Studies in Abuja on at the weekend as Nigeria prepares to participate in the 2018 summit of Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) with particular interest on the Belt and Roads Initiative (BRI), scheduled to hold in Beijing in September.
Wali blamed lack of discipline in the Nigerian civil service, which has caused policy somersaults and lack of long term strategy in policy formulation, stressing that the nation is running an ad hoc system which is causing limitations in its internal and international affairs. He charged the policy makers to change their attitude if the nation must turn its fortunes around for the better.
Director of the Center for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju said the FOCAC 2018 presents another opportunity for African countries adding that the Belt and Roads component deals with physical connectivity of infrastructure to improve connectivity of policies, rules, standards and commerce.
Acting Director Asia-Pacific in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Abdulhamid, said the Belt and Roads Initiative, which is going to provide the avenue for China and Nigeria relationship to strengthen. “The upcoming FOCAC in Beijing is going to provide an avenue where African countries will once again come together with China and we believe that Nigeria should take this opportunity to ensure that Nigeria’s interest is protected and promoted during the summit,” he said.
A deputy director in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Simon Ileuma, said “that the Chinese government has been a reliable ally to the Nigeria in terms of economic development, in terms of infrastructure development, in terms of social development, in terms agricultural diversity. The Chinese Government has been forthcoming in providing long term loans for the country. These loans must be used in capital projects that have high internal rate of return and this is what we have been benefiting from the Chinese government.
“If you look at the rail project from Kaduna to Abuja it has given us a high rate of return, we are also looking at the one which is recently being undertaken in the Lagos axis which will also give us another high rate of return, and we are borrowing the money to finance these projects. The Chinese has started the Lagos -Kano rail projects, the coastal rail projects from Calabar to Lagos, the hydroelectric project in Mambilla which has started and the Lagos-Ibadan rail projects which have also started.”
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
