Akpabio expressed gratitude to the Saudi Arabian government for its Vision 3030, which promotes women’s rights and a significant economic shift in the entertainment and tourism industries.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has appealed to the Government of Saudi Arabia to support Nigeria in its battle against insurgency and trans-border terrorism by exchanging intelligence, assuring that the Nigerian intelligence community is always prepared to collaborate.
The call was made by Akpabio on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the Saudi Arabia/Nigeria Parliamentary Friendship Group led by Dr. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Salamah in his office.
A release by the Special Assistant On Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom, quoted him as saying, “Let me welcome you to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are very delighted to receive you here. Nigeria as a country has a very strong diplomatic relationship with Saudi Arabia since 1961.”
“Nigeria as a country needs a lot of assistance from the Saudi Arabian Government in the area of security. We can only overcome insecurity and trans-border terrorism through sharing of intelligence and I can assure you that the Nigerian security architecture is also ready to cooperate with you.”
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According to Akpabio, “If you provide intelligence that would aid the fight against insurgency, you would have succeeded in making the world a safe and peaceful place for all of us to live in, because insecurity in any part of the world is insecurity everywhere in the world.”
“Our relationship today has gone beyond pilgrimages and oil because Nigerians are now studying and working in Saudi Arabia in various spheres of human endeavours. The mutual economic ties and benefits are worth commending, especially in the aviation sector. I congratulate you and the government of Saudi Arabia on the stability of your economic policies that have brought about prosperity in Saudi Arabia.
“Strategically, you are very important to the world in the Gulf of Guinea and if Saudi Arabia is not stable, the entire area of the Gulf of Guinea will not be stable. Anything you do for Nigeria, is not for Nigeria alone, it is for the entire black race and that is why our bilateral relationship must be encouraged.
“In your search for economic partners, I want you to take Nigeria as a major partner. We solicit more investments from you in the areas of Oil, Gas, and ICT. We would be happy for your collaboration of relationship with OPEC because if you assist OPEC, you are helping Nigeria and the black race to secure and prevent the influx of immigrants,” he stated.
The delegation’s leader, Dr. Al-Salamah, had earlier in his speech said that the purpose of their visit to Nigeria, and more specifically the Senate, was to deepen their longstanding bilateral relationship with Nigeria and explore additional avenues for cooperation and support that would benefit both nations as a whole.
“We are here today to find out areas of future collaborations in terms of bilateral agreements. Nigeria is one of our very strategic partners. Nigeria is very important to Saudi Arabia. We are very proud of its people, government, and culture. We are looking forward to seeing Nigeria become a very prosperous country in the area of commerce, economy, and political relationship,” he declared.
