Headline

Nigeria, China Trade Volume Tops $20bn

Published

4 years ago

September 26, 2021

Eric

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Cui Jianchun, has said that the trade volume between his country and Nigeria was $20bn in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic.

During the period, the envoy explained, China’s GDP also grew to $15.7tn from $10.5bn in 1952.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday to mark the moon festival, one of the most important traditional holidays in China, Jianchun disclosed that Chinese firms and nationals had donated cash and materials valued at N3bn to Nigeria as COVID-19 support.

According to him, the Asian powerhouse has provided three batches of medical aid and also shared its experience on epidemic prevention and control with the Federal Government.

The envoy said the Chinese government planned to donate 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria, noting that the first batch was under consideration.

He said, “China’s trade volume with Nigeria is growing. Last year, trade between the two countries grew to about $20bn and we expect this to continue to grow as the relations between us wax stronger.

“The local Chinese are rushing to help their Nigerian brothers and sisters. The total value of materials and funds donated by the local Chinese companies and nationals amounted to N3bn.”

The ambassador proposed a Nigeria-China GDP Strategy, arguing that the two countries needed to form ‘an orchestra to play a symphony within the Belt and Road Initiative’.

Headline

Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement

Published

2 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.

In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).

The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.

The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.

The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.

Headline

Supreme Court Upholds Election of Monday Okpebholo As Edo Governor

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.

In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.

Headline

‘Overthrow’ Comment: Tinubu’ll Be Removed by Votes, Not Bullets, ADC Replies Presidency

Published

8 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, said President Bola Tinubu will be removed through the ballot and not bullets.It dismissed insinuations that the coalition is interested in truncating democracy in Nigeria.

ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused Tinubu of laying the foundation for a clampdown on opposition leaders.

He made the remark in response to a tweet by Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who alleged that the opposition was planning to overthrow the President.

Onanuga had said the coalition had ganged up to overthrow Tinubu’s administration.Rubbishing Onanuga’s comment, Abdullahi described his remark as reckless and unsubstantiated.

In a statement he signed, Abdullahi said Onanuga’s comment shows that Tinubu’s administration is out to intimidate and repress opposition political leaders in Nigeria.

He noted that ADC would explore Democratic means to ensure Tinubu’s removal from office and not by overthrowing him.

The statement read partly: “ADC condemned the tweet made by an aide of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga, which alleges that the opposition is planning to overthrow the Tinubu government before 2027.

“If anything, it potentially lays the grounds for systematic clampdown on opposition leaders.

“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy, we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government. We are not soldiers, we are politicians.

“We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice.”