China promises to strengthen ties with Nigeria

The Chinese community in Nigeria on Saturday vowed to strengthen its ties with Nigeria.

The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, stated this at the New Year celebration of China in Abuja.

Jianchun said the year, symbolised by the dragon sign, would create an opportunity for China and Nigeria to strengthen their relationship through shared ambitions.

He said, “I want to use the letters (dragon) to describe the relationship between our countries. ‘D’ is about development. The two countries are working to develop the nation. We believe that without development, we cannot achieve individual and societal progress.

“R is to revitalise, ‘A’ is for assistance, ‘G’ is for guidance, ‘O’ is for opportunity and ‘N’ is for nationalism,” adding that the two countries would continue to revitalise their economy, as well as open opportunities for development and work toward nationalism.

Speaking at the event, the director general of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Runsewe, commended China for always projecting its rich culture, saying the country shares many things with Nigeria.

“Both China and Nigeria are culturally diverse nations. China has 56 official ethnic groups, while Nigeria has close to 400 ethnic groups, each with its unique cultural peculiarities,” he said.

Runsewe said Nigeria has a lot of historical and heritage sites that can be upgraded to serve as recreational, religious and commercial sites comparable to the Chinese Temple Fair.

“This is why we must strengthen our cultural ties with China so as to tap from their cultural expertise,” Runsewe said.

Chinese New Year 2024 will fall on Saturday, February 10, 2024, starting a year of the Wood Dragon. As a public holiday, Chinese people will get eight days off from work from February 10 to February 17, 2024.

Chinese New Year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, the Wood Dragon, starting on February 10, 2024, and lasting until January 28, 2025.