Secession Agitations: Canada Offers to Help Nigeria Find Solutions
- Canadian ambassador to Nigeria, Nicolas Simard, said his country and Nigeria share many remarkable similarities
- Simard said having passed through a similar crisis, Canada is ready to assist Nigeria in solving the secession agitations in the country
- The diplomat said this when he played host to Governor Fayemi of Ekiti state on Tuesday, June 29, in Abuja
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FCT, Abuja - Nicolas Simard, Canadian ambassador to Nigeria, has expressed Canada's readiness to help Nigeria in understanding how to find solutions to the recurrent secessionist agitations in the country.
Simard said this on Tuesday, June 29, when he hosted the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi, in Abuja, Premium Times reported.
Source: Facebook
He noted that there are remarkable similarities between Canada and Nigeria, adding that Canada also experienced calls by secessionists that Nigeria is currently experiencing.
The diplomat also said there are 12,000 Nigerians in Canada, 5000 of whom are students adding that there is a $12m trade relations between the two countries.
Rise up and defend democracy, Governor Fayemi tells Nigerians
Also speaking during the visit, Fayemi called on Nigerians to rise to the defence of democracy in Nigeria with a view to advancing the development of the country.
Legit.ng gathers that the visit by the NGF chairman was part of his shuttle diplomacy to representatives of the diplomatic corps in Nigeria.
It is one of the initiatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum’s secretariat towards engendering inter-governmental synergy between global governments at the subnational level.
Fayemi also visited the embassy of the People’s Republic of China where he spoke with the ambassador, Cui Jian Chun and the South African embassy where he had a conversation with the ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Nigeria, Thamsanqa Dennis Mseleku.
In a brief statement posted on his Facebook page, Governor Fayemi said the meetings provided an avenue to share with the envoys some of the steps taken by Nigerian governors to jumpstart infrastructure and economic development in their respective states.
Foreign countries sponsoring secession agitations - Ayade
Amid the calls for secession in some parts of Nigeria, Cross River state governor, Ben Ayade, has accused foreign countries of supporting agitators for secession.
Though Governor Ayade did not mention the name of any country, he noted that some foreign countries target nations with natural resources, and support secessionist agitations because they want to boost their gun trade.
The governor made the allegation on Thursday, June 3, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa.
Source: Legit.ng
