Ambassador of Ireland commits to closer ties with Nigeria

Ambassador of Ireland to Nigeria, Peter Ryan, has said Nigeria and his country will continue to strengthen existing relations.

He disclosed this during the Very Reverend Father Dennis Slattery Memorial Lecture, organised by St. Finbarr’s College Old Boys Association, in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ryan said Ireland and Nigeria had cordial relations before he came to Nigeria and he’s doing everything possible to improve it.

He said: “We have a lot of similarities; we are both proud of our cultures, dance, music, storytelling, sports and literature. I see a lot of Irish spirit in Nigeria.

“We don’t need 100 Irish people here to remember the contributions and the special connection we have. This is written on the soil of Nigeria. Irish people devoted their lives to young people in Nigeria without caring about their status or where they come from. That is the message I got while growing up and that’s the message we will pass to our kids.”

Slattery pioneered the technical curriculum for secondary schools in Nigeria and was the founding chairman of the Nigerian Football Association and founder of the Nigerian Referees Association (NRA).