President Buhari has described Nigerian youths as “intellectually
aggressive and economically ambitious’’ people that always seeks
self-improvement and self-actualization in any part of the world.
President Buhari said this on Monday during one of his meetings with
the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, at the
Royal Guest Palace in Rabat, Morocco.
According to President Buhari, Nigeria’s “visionary and resilient
population’’ works hard to always position the country for more growth,
fuelled by a largely youthful group that continually wants to contribute
to development.
“Nigerians are intellectually aggressive and economically ambitious. I
received some of our students here yesterday and I am really impressed
with the zeal and fearlessness they exuded. In Nigeria we have a very
young and aggressive population and we are working very hard to create
the enabling and inclusive environment for their contributions to be
better appreciated,’’ the President told the Prime Minister.
President Buhari said his government is harnessing the human and
material resources available in the country, especially in the
educational and agricultural sectors, while seeking partnerships with
countries that can explore the huge potentials in Nigeria.
The President noted that Nigeria was already on the verge of an
agricultural revolution as the importation of rice had been cut down by
90 per cent in 18 months.
“We need to do more to improve our statistics on food production and
graciously, the weather has been auspicious in the last couple of years
for agricultural growth. We are happy that through partnership with you
and hard work the price of fertilizer is already down by 50 per cent,’’
he said.
On the three agreements signed during his visit, namely,
Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, vocational training in agriculture
and building of a chemical plant in Nigeria, the President assured the
Prime Minister that they will receive appropriate attention.
“We have a huge gas reserve in Nigeria, and we should be known more
for gas exploration than for crude oil. So, we are happy with the new
partnership with Morocco,’’ he added.
In his remarks, the Prime Minister said his country had always been
impressed by Nigeria’s intellectual zeal and strength, noting that “many
Moroccans appreciate the intellectual contribution of Nigerians,
especially in literary works.’’
“Your visit to our country is historic and we are looking forward to
more partnerships, especially among our universities, which would
further consolidate our relationship,’’ Othman said.
President Buhari also met with the head of the Moroccan legislature,
Habib El Malki and the President of the Advisers on Commerce, Ben
Chemmas.
The Nigerian leader ended his two-day visit to the Kingdom of Morocco
with a visit to the mausoleum where he laid wreaths on the tombs of
past kings.