What is your remarks about this year’s theme for the Atlantic Dialogues?
This is fantastic and I think it is a far improved version of what happened last year. You can see the in-depth search on participants, speakers on different topics and it shows and brings the merits of the dialogue.
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How would you describe the relationship between Nigeria and Morocco?
It can be better. Prior to 2016 when His Majesty, King Mohammed VI visited Nigeria in November and drastically changed everything about our relationship with Morocco. And right now, we are at the peak of our relationship and do not forget that President Muhammadu Buhari for the first time visited Morocco as the first Nigerian President to do so since the establishment of our relations with them in 1969. No head of state or sitting president apart from President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Morocco to participate at the funeral of the late King Hassan II which was not considered as official visit but a condolence visit. So, first official visit by a Nigerian President was carried out by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2018 and it was an historic one.
How has the visits of the two presidents translated to eceonomic gain for the two countries?
Look at the organisers of this Atlantic Dialogues which was solely sponsored by OCP, the company in charge of phosphate mining and selling. This is what really transpired into concrete gains for Nigeria after the visit of King Mohammed VI in 2016. Most blending factories in Nigeria were under lock and key. Over 250 came on board soon after his visit, we started receiving shipment of phosphate even before establishing letters of credit and this is what we are saying, whatever diplomatic relationship we are having with any country let it translate into economic gains for Nigeria, let Nigerians see food on the table. Prior to that visit, how much was fertiliser? Fertiliser was N10,000 per bag. Today it is around N5,000 if not lower. It is because most of those industries that were under lock today have been opened, people that were working there before and were sitting at home are now back to work and OCP apart from selling phosphate is also encouraging our factories to expand, giving soft loans, giving machineries, giving technical adivice, techical assistance to these factories in Nigeria to expand so that they can produce. You will notice that in 2018 there was no screaming by farmers for fertliser. This is the translation of that visit.
Talking about migration, do you think the present administration in Nigeria is doing everything possible to ensure that the youths seeking greener pastures abroad stay back at home and contribute their quota to the development of the country?
Yes, the government is doing everything possible to ensure that. You can see every programme being developed by the present administration such as the N-Power, programmes from the minstry of agriculture, translating agriculture from the wrong perception that it is an old school thing. Now you can see fresh graduates taking charge of farm industries, getting soft loans, being encouraged and these are some of the things. The government is also setting up commissions such as the Nigeria In Diaspora Commission. All these are to facilitate our diaspora brothers and sisters to come back home and invest in the Nigerian economy. Nobody is saying you should completely move out of the north or the western countries you are but your presence there should translate to the betterment of our people. We are not looking down on those contributions, we can do better. Nigerians in diaspora can do better and likewise our youth. If we start looking on improving the economy of Nigeria nobody will be yearning to go and cross the desert to Libya or cross the Meditaranian or the ocean to go to Europe. Nobody will do that, remember in those days prior to this time who wanted to go to Europe? Nobody, people wanted to stay. When I was growing up, nobody was yearning to Europe because the economy was performing wonderfully well and this is what the government is doing. Within three years of the present adminitsration, you can see how the transformation has taken place.
How much have you been able to sell Nigerian culture to the Moroccan community?
Not necessarily to the Moroccan community because I sat down and listened to the dialogue on culture. I received the Ooni of Ife going to Brazil on a cultural visit and do not forget we have the Brazilians coming to Nigeria to attend the OsunlOsogbo festival and it is like an annual event for them. Remember we have villages in Brazil and Cuba that are desecendats of yoruba kingdom. They still speak the Yoruba language and of course they see Nigeria as their country of origin. So we have this cultural tie with them and with Morocco also we do the same. Morocco has maintained bonds with Nigeria right from 1734 when we have this trans saharan trade. Those are the long trade relationship bewteen Nigeria and Morocco.
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