By Nicholas Ojo
Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said Nigeria and Canada are hoping for much more that they can do together.
Professor Yemi Osinbajo had on Monday, November 21, departed Abuja on the first high-level visit to Canada since 2000 when then President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the North American nation.
The visit was said to deepen diplomatic ties between Nigeria and Canada as Prof Osinbajo will meet the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, other top parliamentarians and members of the Canadian government in Ottawa.
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However, during the meeting with the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, the capital of the North American country Tuesday, Osinbajo asserted that the two countries can do much more together by improving trade, deepening ongoing educational collaboration, continuing dialogue on the global energy transition issues and climate change, amongst other.
The Vice President who interacted with top Canadian parliamentarians, including senators and cabinet members led by Freeland, noted that, “we are hoping for much more that we can do together,” according to a statement by his spokesperson, Laolu Akande.
Earlier, the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the nation’s Finance Minister, had expressed similar sentiments while welcoming the Vice President.
Stressing that the Canadian government values its relationship with Africa, especially Nigeria, and has been “looking forward to this visit for a long time,” adding that the relationship with Nigeria is “very important to us”.
Osinbajo, on the global net zero emissions targets, and energy transition reaffirmed the view that gas ought to be adopted as a transition fuel, a notion he said garnered traction at the recent COP27 conference in Egypt, even though still widely unacknowledged in the West.
“We believe we must use our gas as transition fuel; we have huge gas reserves. We would like to continue to use our gas during the transition.
“The Federal Government’s Energy Transition Plan is focused on renewable energy, including the ongoing Solar Power Naija Programme, which was launched under the Economic Sustainability Plan.”
In her reaction, the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, who wondered whether countries such as Nigeria are already struggling to get financing for gas projects said, “we will be happy to keep talking with you on that”, adding that the use of Natural Gas makes sense while noting that the dialogue should continue.
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Both leaders exchanged notes on some of the common and peculiar economic challenges in their respective countries, including fiscal and monetary challenges, subsidies, financial inclusion, social investment programmes and strategies to support the vulnerable, among others.
The two leaders were said to have also discussed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), observing that the market provided opportunities for mutual benefits, not only for African countries but also Canada which is desirous of contributing to its development and also tapping into the continental market.