The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has offered to approve a parcel of land in Abuja for Somalia towards the construction of the country’s Chancery.
He gave the assurance on Thursday when he played host to the Somali Ambassador to Nigeria, Jamal Mohamed Barrow, in his office in Abuja.
Wike assured Barrow of his readiness to fast track the processes leading to the approval of a land to enable the Horn of Africa country to start building its Chancery in Abuja.
The minister noted that both Nigeria and Somalia had many things in common, including unfortunate civil wars, that had truncated development.
“Security is very key for us, where we are now is not where we want to be. There is still room for improvement.
“We want our guests to be comfortable. Don’t hesitate to come to us where you have observations,” Wike said.
In his remarks, Barrow expressed hope that Nigeria and Somalia could interface, saying Nigeria could be a model, especially Abuja, for Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
He commended the FCT Minister for the improved security and good leadership in the FCT and expressed the hope that Abuja would in the future become one of the best capital cities in the world under the leadership of the minister.
“We are asking for assistance. There is a long history of relationship between Nigeria and Somalia. We want to see how Abuja is working and how you are doing it, so we can also do it in Mogadishu. We want to make Nigeria our second home.
“We have been in war, we have got our challenges, we operate a federal system and we do hope that Nigeria is the best model to copy. Since we have the same experiences, we can work together,” Barrow said.
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
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