Pakistani President To Lead 70 Men Delegation To Nigeria

President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan will
begin a three-day working visit to Nigeria
from Monday, April 21, the Pakistan Deputy
High Commissioner, Ahmed Sirohey said in
Abuja.
The visit is the first of a Pakistan's president to
Nigeria in 32 years and Hussain is leading a 70-
man delegation, Sirohey told reporters.
According to him, the delegation is mainly made
up of government officials and businessmen from
the country's textile industry.
He said Nigeria and Pakistan had enjoyed
excellent diplomatic relations in the past four
decades, but has not reflected in the economic
sector.
"Trade relation is still low with current annual
bilateral trade of about 70 million dollars.
"Our president is coming with the hope of
strengthening economic and trade relations
between both countries and where any of the two
countries have expertise we should support each
other.''
The Pakistani envoy said both countries would
also explore cooperation in the field of petroleum
resources and energy, adding that Pakistan could
help Nigeria address its domestic gas challenges.
"We have huge pipe-to-gas across the country
and there are about eight million customers
served by our Natural Gas Company and they are
provided gas in their houses.
"Bills are sent to customers at the end of the
month and the bill for a house of six people is not
more than N300 per month.
"If it is a big house like you have in Maitama
district in Abuja it is not more than N1500,'' he
said.
He said improved cooperation with Nigeria in the
areas of food security, agriculture and the textile
industry would strengthen President Goodluck
Jonathan's Transformation Agenda.
He recalled that in 2012 Jonathan and Hussain
had discussed the issue of reviving the textile
industry in Nigeria on the sideline of the D8
meeting in Islamabad.Later, Sirohey confirmed to
the News Agency of Nigeria that the issue of
Prisoners Transfer Agreement between both
countries could come up for discussion during the
presidential visit.
He said no fewer than 30 Nigerians were currently
serving in Pakistan prisons while at least two
Pakistanis were in Nigeria prisons.
"We have sent the PTA to Nigeria if it is ready for
signing, maybe the agreement would be signed,''
he said.
This presidential visit is coming barely two weeks
after Nigeria requested for Pakistan's cooperation
in the fight against insurgency in some parts of
the country.
Nigeria's request was mentioned in a
communiqué issued on April 8 in Abuja at the end
of the Joint Ministerial Meeting of the Nigeria-
Pakistan Joint Commission.
Nigeria and Pakistan have an existing cooperation
on defence, which has facilitated the training of
Nigerian military officers in Pakistan's military
institutions.
"Last year, 120 military officers from Nigeria
attended various courses in Pakistan and this year
at least 40 are currently undergoing training in
various areas," Nigeria's High Commissioner to
Pakistan, Malam Dauda Danladi, told NAN
recently.