The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, has conveyed the eagerness of the Nigerian Parliament to bolster the existing relationship between Nigeria and Switzerland to enhance the mutual relationships between the two countries.
He also noted with delight that Nigeria is the most prominent supplier of crude oil to Switzerland, depicting it as a fortune development.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, made this known when he welcomed the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Nicholas Lang, at his office in the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday.
Also at the convention were the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Majority Leader, Hon. (Prof.) Julius Ihonvbere; Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga; Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda; Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki; and the Minority Whip, Hon. Ali Isa.
The speaker in the Press Statement from his Media Office expressed his appreciation to the visit, stating that the Swiss diplomats were the first set of “foreign officials to visit Nigeria legislators.”
“We are also honoured and happy with all the goodwill messages you have rendered, especially the mutual issues: the expansion of the legislative and technical cooperation between your country and ours. We will be looking forward to it ,” added the speaker.
He lauded Switzerland on its recent consultation in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Speaker Abba said: “What I intend to relate to you is that the Nigerian House of Representatives is always ready to partner with your country in every way conceivable – legislative, economic, social, cultural; we are ready and excited.
“We want to beseech you to continue to look at ways that we can co-operate. We are eager to learn. We are willing to come together and associate with you in every way conceivable, in other to bolster our legislatures, reinforce our economies and strengthen our cultural ties.
He is very delighted that so many companies from Switzerland are in Nigeria, particularly in lagos state. We are very happy that Nigeria is one of your biggest suppliers of crude oil. It is a good beginning and I think we can reinforce on that. We can do much more. There are a list of things that we can be able to benefit from your country, while there are also many aspects that Nigeria can also be able to contribute to Switzerland thus, the mutual relationships will benefit both countries.
“Let us brainstorm and see how we can be able to solidify on the already successful partnership that we have. We are more than willing and ready to support any positive initiative from the Swiss Government on how to consolidate our legislatures and all other aspects.
Lastly, the speaker expressed his deep appreciation for the visit and look forward to more mutually-beneficial interactions with the ambassador.
Earlier in his discourse, the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Lang, deliberated on the importance of his host country, Nigeria to Switzerland, calling for stronger mutual relationship between the two countries.
The Ambassador also invited the House of Representatives to Switzerland for exchanges with the Swiss Parliament, which Speaker Abbas said the House would consider.
Lang said: “Nigeria is our main provider of oil. No other country has the same prominence in this regard. We have roughly 50 Swiss companies present in your country, most of them, of course, in the area of Lagos where the most important part of Nigeria’s economy is.
“The idea is to fortify our relationships and that, of course, goes for all institutions, not only the Executive but very much also the legislation, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Ambassador also invited the Speaker and the leadership of the House to Switzerland’s National Day celebration in Abuja on the 1st of August.
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