Nigerian Ambassadors To US And India Leaves For
Countries Of Accreditation
The
new Nigerian Ambassadors to the United States and
India, Professor Tunde Adeniran, and Ambassador
Ghali Umar respectively have left to resume work in
their countries of accreditation.
This followed a farewell dinner in their honour by
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe in
Abuja.
Harping On Experience
Maduekwe said that the two envoys were experienced
diplomats, who would utilise their wealth of
experience to make the country proud in their new
assignments.
Adeniran had served as Nigeria's Principal Envoy to
Germany while Umar was, until his appointment, the
State Chief of Protocol to President Yar'Adua.
Adeniran and Umar expressed deep appreciation to
President Yar'Adua for the confidence reposed in
them and pledged to do their best to strengthen ties
between Nigeria and their host countries.
Adeniran and Umar were among the eleven envoys
appointed by President Umaru Yar'Adua and approved
by the Senate in October 2008.
Nigeria currently has 120 diplomatic missions abroad
and a total of 80 envoys serving as Ambassadors or
High Commissioners.
Value Added For India
Nigeria's High Commissioner to India, Ambassador
Ghali Umar, has said that Indian companies were the
second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after
the Federal Government.
Shortly before departing for India to assume duty,
Ambassador Ghali Umar told newsmen that Indian
companies were already investing heavily in various
sectors of the economy, including aviation, steel,
petrochemicals, textiles and pharmaceuticals.
The High Commissioner also said that Nigeria was
India's second largest trade partner with more than
ten billion naira trade volume in favour of Nigeria
in 2008.
He noted that Nigeria's High Commission in India was
handling the highest number of visa applications out
of the one hundred and twenty Nigerian missions
abroad.
Umar, who recalled that the two countries signed a
strategic partnership agreement in 2007, stressed
the need to make the agreement operational.
The envoy expressed the hope that government would
be persistent in following up on the agreements to
ensure that they were fully implemented.
Umar also noted that there was an increase in the
number of Nigerians travelling to India for medical
treatment, saying this called for further
collaboration between the two countries in the area
of medicine.
He pledged his commitment to further strengthen the
ties between both countries.
NAN/ Qasim / Austeen