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Russian coy, businesses to invest in Nigeria, says chamber President

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Nigerian and Russian Flags
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The President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce, Mr Sergey Katyrin, has said that Russian companies and businesses were ready to partner and invest in Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow, Russia, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, in Abuja.

Katyrin said this in Moscow while receiving the Nigerian Ambassador to Russia  Prof. Abdullahi Shehu, who visited the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Katyrin stated that the Chamber regularly hosted country and company presentations, which the Nigerian side can take advantage of to explore areas of cooperation and partnership.

He added that the Chamber organises exhibitions for information exchanges under the auspices of Expocentre Fairgrounds.

Katyrin assured the Nigerian envoy of his full cooperation and the readiness of Russian companies and businesses to invest in Nigeria, expressing the readiness of the Russian Business Council in facilitating such cooperation along with its Nigerian counterpart.

Responding, Shehu noted that Nigeria had maintained stable relations with the Russian Federation dating back to the Soviet era.

According to him, the two countries could achieve more in their economic cooperation if Russian businesses showed more interest in Nigeria, as the African commercial nerve centre, and the economic hub of the West African sub-region.

“For any Russian companies, Nigeria is the gateway to Africa”,  A good example is the decision of the Russian company called URALCHEM to establish in Nigeria.

“URALCHEM is one of the largest companies in the mineral fertilisers market and the second largest producer of nitrogen fertilisers in Russia, to open a representative office and a fertiliser plant in Nigeria before the end of 2021,” it stated.

The Ambassador also called on other Russian companies to follow the example of URALCHEM to not only export products to Nigeria, but also produce such goods in Nigeria.

He added that the Embassy planned to organise a trade mission to Nigeria soon, while offering the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to assist in organising trips for interested businesses.

Shehu stressed that the embassy was ready to organise regular trips of representatives of Russian companies to Nigeria to avail them the avenues to better understand the risks and opportunities in the country.

He said that part of his mandate was to facilitate trade and government was looking forward to collaborating with Russian investors interested in the Nigerian economy,

Also, speaking at the meeting was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of URALCHEM, Mr Dmitry Konyaev, who confirmed that his company would soon open its representative office in Nigeria and would also establish a plant.

He further stressed the great potential of the Nigerian market for the supply of mineral fertilisers, and the importance of exporting Russian knowledge and technology to Nigeria.

Konyaev further indicated that URALCHEM was collaborating with RUDEN University, under a scholarship scheme, to attract Nigerians to study agricultural specialties and return home to transfer the technology to Nigeria.

NAN reports that Mr Konyaev was elected as the new Chairman of the Russia-Nigeria Business Council in May 2021.

(NAN)

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Tinubu Receives Ramaphosa, Seeks Stronger Ties Between Nigeria, South Africa

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Tinubu and Ramaphosa
Tinubu and Ramaphosa
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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday received his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa as both leaders held a bilateral talks following the latter’s swearing-in ceremony.

The meeting was hosted by the Nigerian president in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a statement after the meeting, Tinubu’s spokesman Ajuri Ngelale quoted his principal as saying, “I really enjoyed your speech at the ceremony. I was delighted listening to you. We have lots of issues in common, and we need to work more closely together. It was a good celebration”.

The South African president also thanked Tinubu for attending the inauguration.

“Thank you so much for coming for the inauguration. I was very happy to see my brother at the ceremony,” he said.

Ramaphosa was sworn in on Wednesday after a coalition agreement between the African National Congress (ANC) and other parties.

Tinubu was among African leaders who attended Ramaphosa’s swearing-in. A video of the South African president purportedly snubbing Tinubu at the event had gone viral.

But the Nigerian presidency in the wake of the development, said the video was taken out of context.

The Senior Special Assistant to Tinubu on Digital Communications, Strategy, and New Media O’tega Ogra on his X handle said, “For the record: 1. That first row at today’s inauguration was reserved for South African kings/royalty. 2. The South African President wasn’t expected to start greeting dignitaries at the time of the video you shared and he was respectfully recalled to the podium by the inauguration compere (see video below). 3. Immediately after President Ramaphosa finished the anthem, he went ahead to greet the visiting presidents who were all seated in the second row (similar to the way visiting presidents were seated in the third row during Nigeria’s own inauguration on May 29, 2023…).”

 

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Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi is dead

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Late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi
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Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi has died after his helicopter crashed amid heavy fog in northern Iran, state media reported. Raisi was 63.

Rescuers on Monday found the chopper that was carrying the Iranian president, as well as the country’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other senior officials, after it crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran.

The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month.

Under Raisi, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, further escalating tensions with the West as Tehran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast such as Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Raisi was a prominent figure in Iranian politics, known for his alignment with conservative and hardline factions. He had been serving as president for nearly three years and was widely expected to run for re-election next year.

Born in Mashhad, a significant religious center for Shia Muslims in northeastern Iran, Raisi’s journey into politics was deeply rooted in his religious education.

He studied at the renowned seminary in Qom, under the guidance of prominent scholars, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader of Iran.

His black turban, a symbol that he was a sayyid, or a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, held special significance among Twelver Shia Muslims, further cementing his religious and political stature.

Raisi’s career as a prosecutor began in various jurisdictions before he moved to Tehran in 1985. There, he became a part of a controversial committee of judges responsible for the execution of political prisoners, a role that drew significant criticism from human rights organizations.

Raisi’s untimely death leaves a significant void in Iran’s political landscape. As the nation mourns, questions about his potential successor and the future direction of Iranian politics loom large.

 

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Nigeria’s Senate President Akpabio seeks IPU’s voice in ending conflict in Gaza

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President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio
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The President of Nigeria’s Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has called on the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) to lend a strong voice to the restoration of lasting peace in war-torn Gaza.

Akpabio made the call while contributing to discussions at the ongoing 148th Session of the International Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

He said it is time for nations to rise above sentiments and invoke the spirit of humanity, by doing all they can to bring sustainable peace to the region.

Some of the resolutions, according to the Chairman of Nigeria’s National Assembly, should include access to humanitarian aid, the restoration of normal life in Gaza, and meetings on a permanent truce.

His words: ” Madam President, this is a lone voice from Nigeria. We tried our best in Angola, and we failed to lend a collective voice to what is happening in Gaza. Today, the world is very expectant.

“We must drop ego. It has nothing to do with which country brings the proposal. The basic tenets of humanity demand that we leave here with a resolution for the rest of the world, to show that we have human feelings in us.

“The issues are very clear. If you notice the proposal for 12 blocs; they attempted to even marry the proposals from South Africa. Yes! South Africa has a right to be emotional, but we have children who are dying even as we are talking now. We have people who do not have water to drink, even as we are talking now. We have people who are going to suffer infections from gunshots.

“We have to show the world that we are human beings. The cessation of hostilities must be a part of our resolutions. Access to humanitarian aid must be a part of our resolutions.

‘At the same time, the release of hostages and even those who are prisoners of war, because if both sides take steps in releasing the hostages, releasing the prisoners of war, it means that both sides have agreed that the international community can go to the next stage, which is negotiation for sustainable peace.

“If they cannot agree, I would urge that, from here, we have a three-man drafting committee to come up with those resolutions which we must make before we leave here.

‘We can no longer allow a child to die tonight without lending our voice. It doesn’t matter which side. We are all parents. If we come here to look for ego and then try to be emotional, it’s not affecting them.

“There’s nothing affecting Denmark; there’s nothing affecting South Africa. The people affected are over there and nobody will agree to the lone resolution from Israel. It must be all-encompassing so that we stand up from here as human beings. That would be my plea.

“Let them go aside, meet and remove those vexatious items. In the course of their discussions, we can have amendments. We can add items that we should add, but we must discuss the Gaza issue in this 148th IPU Assembly. That is my position.”

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