Business
Taiwan Seeks Better Ties with Nigeria, following Tinubu’s St. Lucia Visit
We, the people and Government of Taiwan, wholeheartedly congratulate H. E. President Tinubu for his visions and concrete actions of extending Nigeria’s connection with the Caribbean Island state, just like Taiwan has made diplomatically with St. Lucia.
•Andy Yih-Ping Liu
TAIWAN’S Representative/ Head of Mission in Nigeria Andy Yih-Ping Liu has congratulated Nigeria’s fresh diplomatic engagements with St. Lucia and the Caribbean States.
Liu, in a statement yesterday, asserted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s most successful state visit to the Caribbean nation of Saint Lucia was truly a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s diplomacy.
The statement reads: “We, the people and Government of Taiwan, wholeheartedly congratulate H. E. President Tinubu for his visions and concrete actions of extending Nigeria’s connection with the Caribbean Island state, just like Taiwan has made diplomatically with St. Lucia.
“Taiwan (ROC) and St. Lucia, as well as three other Caribbean island nations, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Haiti, have long established diplomatic relations with full-fledged embassies setting in each other’s capitals.
“Our diplomatic presence of embassies, together with Development and Technical Aid of medical, agricultural, women and youth empowering, trade and investment strengthening, sustainable development, etc., have truly assisted St. Lucia as well as other Caribbean nations to grow well economically and socially.”
Liu noted that during President Tinubu’s visit, he would have toured some facilities jointly developed by the Taiwanese government and St. Lucian authorities.
“We’re proud to offer our helping hands that produce fruitful results, and we certainly welcome wholeheartedly that Nigeria will also be joining this humanitarian and economic collaborations in the Caribbean area.
“We are extremely delighted to witness President Tinubu graciously receiving the conferment of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (K.C.O.S.L.) in recognition of his efforts to strengthen ties between Africa and the Caribbean.
This has showcased His Excellency’s visionary exploration and escalation of Nigeria’s ever-growing international status, and his grand movements in deepening the collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
“Prime Minister Philip Pierre, that H. E. President Tinubu has met in St. Lucia, visited Taiwan to attend President Ching-Te Lai’s inauguration ceremony on May 20th, 2024.
Also, St. Lucia’s Senate President Madam Alvina Reynolds, that President Tinubu has also met, visited Taiwan to attend our National Day Celebrations on October 10th, 2024.
All these have demonstrated how cordially the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and St. Lucia have been, and our bilateral cooperation have truly showcased Taiwan is such an indispensible and healthy partner for St. Lucia, as well as other Caribbean nations.
“Taiwan (ROC) has survived the heavy pressure from across the Taiwan Strait, and flourished outstandingly in the world, both democratically and economically on nation building.
“We the Taiwanese people are privileged to share our advanced know-how and technology to any country globally, so that we can work together in weathering through all sorts of challenges.
It is therefore, once again, we would like to congratulate dearly for President Tinubu’s diplomatic achievements in his landmark State Visit to St. Lucia, and also sincerely express our goodwill for any future strengthening of Nigeria-Taiwan relations, either in this great nation of Nigeria or in our shared diplomatic allies of St Lucia and the Caribbean states.
“Taiwan remains humble and ready to share its vast knowledge with Nigeria in various fields of comparative advantages, and we would appreciate deeply that His Excellency President Tinubu and Nigeria to view and regard Taiwan as a most advanced and developed, healthy partner, to build substantial relations, like what we have contributed and collaborated in Saint Lucia,” he said.
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Business
Obasanjo: “Aliko Embarrass Me”
He got all his workers together in that refinery and said, without telling me, and there, said…
Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has described Aliko Dangote as his “boss”, crediting the businessman’s industrial achievements to the policies and encouragement provided by his administration.
Obasanjo said this while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu, Kenya, where he recalled his recent visit to the Dangote refinery and the businessman’s acknowledgement of the role he played in his transition from cement importation to production.
He said, “About two months ago, three months ago, I visited the refinery which you visited last week. And I just couldn’t stop being surprised what Aliko did. But then Aliko embarrassed me.”
According to Obasanjo, Dangote had gathered his workers during the visit and publicly attributed part of his success in cement production and the eventual development of his refinery to the policies and encouragement of the former president.
He said, “He got all his workers together in that refinery and said, without telling me, and there, said, all of you working here, all of you, the man you have to thank is this man, that’s me. I didn’t have anything to do with his refinery or what it is.
He said, without this man, I would not have been in cement production.“And it is the cement production that provided the encouragement, the inspiration for the refinery. So, thank you. They all shouted and thanked me.”
Obasanjo said Dangote had expanded the opportunities created by his administration beyond Nigeria, particularly through cement production across Africa, and was now replicating the model in the petroleum refining sector.
“May God continue to expand your coast. And you are my boss. You will continue to be my boss.”
Business
Minister Tasks Charcoal Merchants on Sustainable Forestry
The minister gave the charge at the flag-off of the 2026 Operation One Million Trees Tree Planting Programme organised by the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Ibadan.
•Charcoal merchants and other stakeholders in the forestry sector
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal, has charged charcoal merchants and other stakeholders in the forestry sector to embrace sustainable practices and support the federal government’s efforts to reverse deforestation and restore Nigeria’s degraded forest landscapes.
The minister gave the charge at the flag-off of the 2026 Operation One Million Trees Tree Planting Programme organised by the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Ibadan.
The programme, which brought together forestry practitioners, charcoal merchants, environmentalists, students, regulators and other stakeholders, is aimed at promoting afforestation and encouraging responsible management of Nigeria’s forest resources.
Speaking at the event, the minister described tree planting as one of the most practical measures for combating climate change, reversing deforestation, restoring biodiversity, controlling desertification and strengthening the resilience of the nation’s ecosystems.
The Chairman of the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants, Mr Adeshola Adebowale Idowu, emphasised that the event carried a clear message for everyone involved in the charcoal business and, indeed, every Nigerian.
Idowu said stakeholders should develop the habit of replacing trees removed from the environment, encouraging Nigerians to plant trees around their homes and communities.
He advocated a practice of planting several trees for every tree cut down, stressing that trees remain indispensable to human existence because many products used by society are derived from them
( THISDAY)
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