President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will return to Abuja on Sunday, following his official visit to China and his short stay in the United Kingdom.
President Tinubu departed Abuja for Beijing, China, on 29 August, making a stop in Dubai, UAE, before arriving in Beijing on Sunday, 1 September, for his official visit.
During his trip, President Tinubu held high-level meetings with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The visit resulted in the signing of five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between Nigeria and China, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields.
President Tinubu also led his team in bilateral talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, before being hosted by President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at a banquet and cultural gala performance on the eve of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.
Among the MOUs signed were the cooperation plan between Nigeria and China, which is to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative, cooperation in the peaceful application of nuclear energy, and strengthening cooperation on human resource development under the Global Development Initiative.
Others were the Memorandum of Understanding on Media Exchange and Cooperation and the Memorandum of Understanding between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television Authority.
Nigeria also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to build the 68 km Lagos Green rail line, designed to run from the Lekki Free Zone to the Marina and connect with the Blue Line.
A memorandum of understanding for the $1 billion iron ore-to-steel project planned for Kogi State was also signed.
Before attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, President Tinubu visited Huawei and China Railway Construction Corporation, later delivering a speech at FOCAC as ECOWAS chairman, stressing the importance of multilateralism and cooperation for global peace.
He concluded his visit to China by meeting with representatives of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation’s China chapter, where he discussed the importance of his government’s reforms and expressed hope they would lead Nigeria to achieve better infrastructure, including good roads, constant power, and improved schools, similar to China.
President Tinubu then departed Beijing for London, where he spent several days. Last Thursday, he held a meeting with King Charles III to discuss pressing issues related to climate change and potential actions to address them.
