Brazilian Envoy Canvasses Cultural, Scholarship Opportunities for Students

Funmi Ogundare

The Consul-General, Consulate of Brazil, Lagos, Ambassador Francisco Soare Luz, has called on stakeholders in the Nigeria-Brazillian bilateral relationship to harness the opportunities provided for trade, cultural and educational agreements, for the benefits of citizens.

He also appealed to students of the Lagos State University (LASU) to take advantage of scholarship opportunities offered by the South American country to further their studies at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Speaking at the 2021 annual lecture of the LASU Centre for AfroBrazillian Studies (LASUCAS) titled ‘Brazil/Nigeria: Historical Relations and Future Opportunities’ recently, Luz highlighted the scholarship possibilities in Brazil for eligible Nigerians.

“In the education sector, there is an agreement between Nigeria and Brazil which allows Nigerian students to come to Brazil on scholarship and study for either undergraduate or postgraduate courses,” he said.

The programme for undergraduate is PEC-G, while that of postgraduate is PEC-PG. The Programme for Partner Undergraduate Students (PEC-G, in the portuguese acronym) is a cooperation programme between Brazil and countries in Africa, Latin America and Caribbean.

The ambassador said its goal is to give young students from these countries an opportunity to undertake their full undergraduate studies in Brazilian universities.

He added that leveraging on these opportunities would help to actualise the potential of development in the countries.

The chairman of the occasion, Chief Teju Philips, affirmed that continuous engagement between Nigeria and Brazil would usher in sustainable growth and development, with a promise to champion the effort.

“Nigeria has benefited from Brazil’s experience in the field of infrastructural development and Brazil has benefited from Nigeria’s natural resource endowments. It is imperative, that Brazil and Nigeria continue to explore their shared heritage, letting it serve as a solid foundation for collaborative efforts that would bring continued and sustainable growth and development to the two nations.

“As Brazil-Nigeria diplomatic relations come into its fortieth year, we should take the opportunity and overcome shared challenges to bring the Brazil-Nigeria strategic partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation to a new height.”

In her remarks, the Vice- Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the university would not only be instrumental to the promotion of Brazilian studies, but would become the authority in the study of subjects around Brazil in Africa.

“LASU was established, among other objectives, to serve as a creative custodian, promoter and propagator of the state’s social and cultural heritage and other resources. Therefore, LASUCAS was established to foster this objective of the university.

“The main objective of the centre is to engage in and promote in-depth research on the Brazilian cultural, archaeological and architectural relics in Lagos Statep in particular and Nigeria in general.

It is also aimed at bringing scholars, intellectuals and policy makers from Brazil and other countries to Nigeria providing them with an enabling environment in which to pursue their academic research on issues.”

She expressed hope that the centre will grow to become an authority and a recognised voice on Afrobrazilian issues and one of the international faces of the institution.

The Director of the Centre, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof. Tayo Ajayi, said the lecture was part of the centre’s efforts to improve relationship between Nigeria and Brazil, while appealing to the students to take advantage of the scholarship offered by Brazil by enrolling for short programmes in the centre.