follow and like on:
By Fortune Abang
Abuja, April 23, 2026 (NAN) The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, says Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will continue to deepen bilateral cooperation between them in trade, security, education and technology.
The minister stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the 4th Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu Memorial Lecture.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot, delivered the guest lecture on the theme: “Sustainable and climate resilience future: beyond rhetorics.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu in a statement issued by Magnus Eze, her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, said the lecture centered on security, economic uncertainties, climate change and shifting geopolitical dynamics.
She said, “This partnership continues to yield tangible benefits in areas such as trade, education, governance, security cooperation, and capacity building.
“Nigeria will continue to play pivotal role on the global stage in advancing peace, security, and development, particularly within the framework of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African continent at large.”
She said Nigeria’s foreign policy remained anchored on the principles of mutual respect, non-interference, strategic partnerships, and the protection of national interest.
The minister narrated that her late husband, as an Igbo leader, loved planting trees, and understood long before many others, even before climate action became more amplified, that respecting nature’s balance was important.
“As we reflect on the life and legacy of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, let us recommit ourselves to building a Nigeria anchored on justice, unity, and shared prosperity.
“Let us invest in education, empower our youth, and strengthen our institutions, for these are the pillars upon which sustainable development rests,” she said.
She further urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the institution and to see the knowledge acquired as a mere foundation, because their character, resilience, and integrity would define their journey.
Meanwhile, Mignot described the minister as a major promoter of Nigeria-EU partnership, saying climate action could be expensive, but that it was more detrimental to do nothing.
The lecture was organised to commemorate the university’s Founders’ Day with focus on honouring the legacy of the late Igbo leader and Biafran war-time head of state, after whom the institution is named. (NAN) (http://www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Mark Longyen
follow and like on:
