Wike Tasks Foreign Missions on Bilateral Agreements

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, expressed displeasure at the practice where bilateral agreements were not followed to the logical conclusion beyond discussion stage.

He expressed the concern when he received in audience the Ambassador of Republic of Ireland to Nigeria, Peter Ryan.

He urged the visiting ambassador to take advantage of the very vast arable land in Nigeria’s capital territory to strengthen the partnership between both countries.

“Relationships should be beneficial. I won’t be in a hurry to enter arrangements that end immediately after discussions.

“Nigeria has strong ties with the Republic of Ireland and so we will like to leverage on that, especially in the area of agriculture which Ireland is known for,” Wike said.

He said one of the important focus of President Bola Tinubu’s administration was to harness the potential in ICT in the interest of the youths, adding that they would seize the opportunity to visit Dublin to see some of the ICT hubs so as to replicate same in the FCT.

Earlier, Ryan said Ireland was willing to partner with the FCT Administration in the area of education, agriculture and ICT.

He noted that Ireland has a very large Nigerian population, with many of them making remarkable contributions to the economy of the country especially in the area of sports and ICT.

He noted that he saw the potential in Abuja and promised to connect the FCTA to the vibrant cultural ecosystem in his country as well facilitate practical collaborations with key investment experts and other stakeholders in the Irish private sector.

“Education is very important to us and has helped us achieve the success we have in the area of technology.

“From the first week of December, we are bringing to Abuja, the head of the largest vocational education provider on the land of Ireland. He will be here and has no agenda, so he is at your disposal,” Ryan said.