President Bola Tinubu has expressed his readiness to make difficult decisions to move Nigeria forward, following his official visit to China.
Speaking to Nigerians living in Beijing, President Tinubu described his trip as successful and underscored the importance of national consensus, even when it is not easy to achieve.
During a meeting with the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) and the wider Nigerian community at the China World Hotel, Tinubu outlined his commitment to enhancing cooperation between Nigeria and China in various sectors, including infrastructure, trade, finance, energy, and mining. His discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang were aimed at replicating China’s model of development in Nigeria.
The President in a statement issued by his spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying, “What is uppermost in my mind is for you to continue representing Nigeria as good citizens, and I urge you all to be good ambassadors of our nation in China.
“We will always celebrate our diversity. We cherish it, but this diversity is our commitment to serve. If it is about service, we must be good citizens.”
“I cannot tell you more, except from the embassy, that China is a very disciplined society and we have to be disciplined too. Without discipline and commitment, we cannot build a nation that is respected everywhere in the world.
“We must exploit our diversity and be ready to do everything required of us within the laws of the communities that we live in and reflect a good image of our country,” the President said.
“Nigeria is going through reforms, and we are taking very bold and unprecedented decisions. For example, you might have been hearing from home in the last few days about fuel prices.
“But, can we help it? Can we develop good roads like you have here? You see electricity being constant in quantity and quality. You see water supply, constant and running, and you see their good schools. And we say we want to hand over a banner without stain to our children?
“What is the critical part to get us there if we cannot take hard decisions to pave the way for a country that is blessed and so talented?
“So many of you are so talented, speaking very fluent Mandarin. It is what you contribute and tell them at home that will reflect in the attitude of our people. The more you want everything free, it will become more expensive and long-delayed to achieve meaningful development,’’ the President said.
“We want our children to be in good schools, not tattered huts and dilapidated buildings. We must make our teaching innovative and allow businesses of all kinds and sizes to flourish.
“One economic action leads to another, and it is in your hand to build our nation. Mine is to provide the leadership, and I am committed to doing just that,” the President stated.
According to the statement, ” The President noted that while it is not always easy for a leader to have a national consensus on issues, he is ready to take the hard decisions to move the nation forward.”
He said, “We are focused, and I have a very good team.”
