‘Nigeria Is A Vibrant Country With Friendly People’

Impression about Nigeria
It has been two and half years now since I have been posted to Nigeria. I have had a very interesting time. The country is going through big changes and challenges. I have met different people all around the country. I think in general, Nigerians have been very welcoming and warming. There is enough potentials in the country, which is good for the future.

It is a vibrant, energetic country with a lot of friendly and challenging people. That impressed me. And the determination of many people to make better future for their families. These are some of the impressive things.
I think the current administration of Muhammadu Buhari has started building effective institutions for the people. Making sure that revenue are collected efficiently and spent effectively is very important. Strengthening the rule of law through the judicial system and enforcing the regulations is very important, particularly for the international business community.

These are directions that the current government is setting up. We applaud that and we support it.

Nigeria-Australia diplomatic relations
We have a long and friendly relationship. We are both members of the Commonwealth. Australia established its High Commission here almost after Nigeria achieved its independence. It has been good diplomatic relations and it has strengthened in recent years. I think we have close ties in terms of economy, trade and investment.

On the first Australian Education Exhibition in Nigeria
For the first time we had an Australian Education Exhibition in Nigeria and in Lagos, the biggest city. We hope it will expand in the future to other cities such as Abuja and others.
Australian education is very strong. We have the largest number of international students in the world in our universities. After the United States and the United Kingdom, we are next. We have a great deal of success in attracting international students from many part of the world, particularly from countries in the Asian region, which is relatively close to us. From countries like China, India, Vietnam and other parts of the world, including Middle East and Africa.

Why Nigeria this time?
Our universities didn’t much attention to Nigeria in the past, but we have seen a growing number of Nigerian students enrolling in Australian universities. The number has grown quite a lot in the last few years from 400 students five years ago, to nearly 1,500 today. That is a rapid increase.

Our universities already noted that there is a possible interest in Nigerian students studying in Australia. It was very timely for us to educate Nigerian public and students with what our universities have for them.

Benefits of the exhibition
It will help in practical terms, students, parents and other parties that are interested to find out more about our education system. What they offer, the individual courses that are available to prospective students, to learn the process of application. That may include whether there are opportunities for scholarships, for grants from a particular university.
To understand more about visa application process for students. We have experts from our immigration departments.

We also have some alumni from Australian universities who returned to Nigeria and also talked about their experiences. Just to give the whole picture. We have a number of our universities featuring in the top 100 best-rated universities around the world. We use English language as medium of communication as in Nigerian universities. We also have good places for people to live and study. We have good affordable places for international students to live. There is also security, and also opportunities for students to get part- time employment to pay for their courses and so on.

Areas of improvement
In the longer term, one of the most prospective areas for us in terms of foreign investment will be in the mining sector. Australia has a very strong mining industry, possibly the strongest in the world. In terms of production of major minerals and export of major minerals. And also, our mining companies are active in all continents of the world. Our trade and mining companies are active in 35 countries in Africa, including a few companies in Nigeria. To some extent, the mining industries in Nigeria is still in its early days.

We have been doing a lot of work in that area. Many Nigerians, mainly from the public sector, participated in that kind of training and technical assistance and capacity building. We all have difficult time internationally to get the money for new projects because, as with oil, the prices for a number of major minerals are down. In the longer term, we hope that Australian companies will be keen to invest in Nigeria.
Things that people travelling to Australia should bear in mind?
I think they would have to get visas before travelling to Australia. You will arrive after a long flight. In terms of places to visit, it is a large country geographically with big distances. It is a safe place to visit. The people are friendly. It is just a question of planning ahead and that kind of thing.

Combating insecurity and terrorism
Primarily, I think the Nigerian government sees security as something that is primarily its responsibility but it does have some cooperation from international partners and a number of them helping in the military side with training and sharing of information and so forth. Australia has offered to do whatever the Nigerian government wishes in that area. So far, we have been helping not so much on the military side, but we have been trying to combat violent extremism through grassroots programmes, education and things like that to combat radical extreme ideology and views that lead to violence.

Boko Haram is clearly an insurgency that has complex roots. Part of the issue is something Nigeria has to address. See why a portion of the youth are being radicalized. We are fully behind the government in its effort to overcome Boko Haram. We are confident, given the resolve of the governments. It can be resolved.
It is not just a question of arms but efficient training and basic equipment and organization of the armed forces on ground.

Boko Haram linking up with ISIS
We don’t know exactly the level of contact they both have. They say they support each other. But for the real practical collaboration, I don’t know. I think what the international community and the countries involved are doing is to combat the military power and the presence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and to contain and defeat Boko Haram, terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.

Both should be addressed. But I think it is a question of cooperation. Australia also has the issue of some of its citizens going to fight with ISIS.

Quite a few of them and government takes that very seriously, particularly the threat they are contributing to the conflict in the Middle East. We are also concerned that we might have radicalized people returning to Australia.
On the migrant crisis in Europe
I think it is a question of solving the real cause of the problem in the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Part is militarily, through defeating ISIS and also encouraging all parties in Syria to reach some kind of political solution to help bring peace to that part of the country. That calls for the refugees to return eventually.

Part is also a question of sharing the burden, that is what the European Union is doing now. Australia has agreed to resettle not just temporarily but resettle 12, 000 refugees from neighbouring countries of Syria. I mean, people who were displaced in surrounding countries of Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. We will take the people in need in some of those countries through the United Nations.