FG Advised to Establish Special Committee for Nigeria-China Agreements Implementation

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• The Federal Government has been advised to form a special committee to oversee the implementation of recent China-Nigeria bilateral agreements signed by President Bola Tinubu, as they are crucial for Nigeria’s economic transformation.
• Mr. Charles Onunaiju, Director of the Centre for China Studies in Nigeria, emphasised the importance of acting swiftly to leverage these agreements, as they hold significant potential to boost Nigeria’s national economic recovery and growth.
• Onunaiju urged the government to avoid bureaucratic delays and ensure the agreements, including those from the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), are effectively integrated into Nigeria’s economic strategy.

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FG Advised to Establish Special Committee for Nigeria-China Agreements Implementation

The Federal Government has been urged to establish a special committee dedicated to implementing the recent bilateral agreements signed between Nigeria and China. Director of the Centre for China Studies in Nigeria, Mr. Charles Onunaiju, emphasised the need for the government to take these agreements seriously and not treat them lightly.

President Bola Tinubu recently signed 13 bilateral agreements with China during his visit, in addition to the eight agreements between Africa and China reached at the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, also vowed to ensure the full implementation of these agreements for the mutual benefit of both countries.

Onunaiju noted that these agreements have the potential to significantly boost Nigeria’s economic fortunes if properly implemented. He called on President Tinubu and the government to actively engage in the process by leveraging both the Nigeria-China agreements and the outcomes of the FOCAC summit.

He recommended that the government activate all necessary policy instruments and, if necessary, establish a national implementation committee empowered by the president to ensure these agreements are followed through diligently. Onunaiju emphasised that these agreements are not magical solutions, but they hold the potential to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic recovery and sustainable development.

He warned against allowing the agreements to get lost in bureaucratic red tape or institutional rivalries, stressing the need for a strategic approach to drive economic recovery and growth in line with President Tinubu’s reform agenda.

Onunaiju concluded by expressing his confidence that the Nigeria-China bilateral cooperation and the FOCAC outcomes could provide constructive contributions towards achieving President Tinubu’s economic goals. Establishing an extra-ministerial or extra-governmental structure to manage the implementation process would be a valuable step towards realising these benefits.