By Philip Yatai
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has sought partnership with Finland on waste management, agriculture and infrastructural development in the FCT.
Wike made the appeal when Finland Ambassador to Nigeria, Sanna Selin, visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Minister, who thanked Selin for the visit said, “the FCT Administration will utilise this opportunity to further expand our relationship.
“Finland is one of those countries that have a good relationship with Nigeria. We will continue to make sure that we optimise that relationship for the mutual benefits of the two countries”.
He expressed the willingness of the FCT Administration to cooperate with the cities of other countries, particularly in infrastructure development and agriculture.
He thanked the ambassador for pledging to support ongoing infrastructural development in the FCT and urged her to also consider waste management.
“It will be great for us if we can have a discussion on waste management with any firm that has the capacity to manage our waste. That is very, very key for us.
“We’ll be glad if we could have an invitation to see one or two areas in Finland that will be of interest to us for mutual development,” he said.
The Minister promised improved security in FCT, adding that ongoing efforts were already yielding results.
“You will agree with me that Abuja is growing every day and the security has very much improved.
“There is also so much construction going on across the city to make life better for residents,” Wike said.
Earlier, Salin noted that the relationship between the two nations has deepened significantly in recent months, adding that increasing trade and supporting Nigeria’s digital transformation were Finnish top priorities.
She said that Finland, one of the most digitised countries in the world, had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nigeria on digitalisation and innovation.
“We are also very advanced in water and waste management technologies, as well as circular economy solutions.
“The expertise found in Finland’s capital region could be mirrored in the FCT through concrete bilateral projects.
‘This will further expand the economic and technical cooperation between the two regions,” she said. (NAN)
Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi
