From a new flight path to cultural exchange, Nigeria’s interest in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean is growing.
In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, TTT News spoke with key leaders about the growing ties and shared interests.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained the shift in the light of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s recent Caribbean visit.
“The President’s visit to the Caribbean Islands recently is a new vista in Nigeria’s international relations and diplomacy. The new established flight path is very important because when there is a movement between two people, between two countries, it engenders a lot of development. This is in terms of tourism, business, governance cooperation and economic cooperation. So I think it’s a new vista that has unlimited opportunities going forward.”
While opportunities grow, Nigeria is also mindful of ensuring safety for visitors.
Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Mr. Olayiwola Awakan, spoke briefly about national security issues.
“The government of President Bola Tinubu is doing everything within its powers to nip in the bud the issue of insecurity in the country. You can see from his body language. He had to cancel two international trips recently just to ensure that we put all these things together. You’ll see again that he’s been having meetings with the security chiefs in Nigeria to ensure that we nip all these things in the bud.”
Special Adviser, Mr. Abdulkadir, highlighted mutually beneficial partnership opportunities between the Caribbean and Nigeria.
“You’ll see that Nigeria is one country that is at the global forefront of innovation when it comes to payment systems. The Caribbean islands can benefit from what we’ve been able to achieve in terms of innovation in this particular area. When it comes to agriculture, we are aware that the Caribbean islands are at the cutting-edge of agricultural innovation. Nigeria can also benefit from that.”
Trinidad and Tobago, the wider Caribbean Islands and Nigeria all see opportunities for growth. The challenge now is turning those ideas into a true partnership.