Wang Yi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that his country will provide over $130 million to African nations to enhance their military and police capabilities. He made this announcement to reporters on Thursday through an interpreter after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock villa. The Chinese minister is visiting Nigeria to reinforce agreements made between President Xi Jinping and Tinubu during the latter’s visit to China last year. He also mentioned that China will assist Africa in establishing a standby force. “China will strongly support Africa in protecting its legitimate rights and interests, promoting true multilateralism, and countering power politics and bullying in Africa. Additionally, China will firmly back Africa in achieving security through development.” We will collaborate with Africa to implement the 10 partnership initiatives and effectively utilize the 360 billion yuan funding announced during the summit. “Nigeria is a key country in Africa and the chair of ECOWAS, playing a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in Western Africa and the Sahel,” he stated. Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, mentioned that Nigeria has consistently demonstrated its ability to tackle peace and security issues in West Africa and across the continent. “We aim to collaborate with countries like China in the domestic production of military equipment, both conventional and non-conventional. This is our goal to minimize the need for external procurement, along with the associated delays and numerous regulations, so we can produce locally.” Tuggar emphasized that Nigeria is a responsible nation that adheres to its constitution, which has earned the trust and confidence of others in its leadership. He added that when Nigeria is excluded from agreements on the continent, those agreements often become difficult to implement due to Nigeria’s significant role in Africa.
