By James Adamu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has received an invitation to visit Singapore, following a formal request from Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, as both countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations and deepen cooperation.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Nigerian Mission House in New York.
According to the statement, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, delivered the invitation in a letter from President Shanmugaratnam during a visit to the Nigerian Permanent Mission House.
Receiving the letter, Ibrahim thanked the Singaporean government for the invitation and assured the ambassador that he would convey it to President Tinubu. He said Tinubu would find time to visit Singapore in the nearest future.
Ibrahim said Nigeria’s economic reforms had attracted international attention, including interest from Singapore in sharing experiences on multilateralism and national development.
He compared the boldness of Tinubu’s economic reforms with the transformation associated with Singapore’s late former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making bold economic reforms like the former Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew,” Ibrahim said.
The Nigerian envoy said Tinubu held President Tharman in high esteem and congratulated Singapore on the reforms that transformed the country.
He said Nigeria was also undergoing reforms aimed at transforming the country into a modern state where citizens’ interests would be protected and economic opportunities expanded.
Ibrahim also disclosed that his office had recorded increased diplomatic engagements in recent weeks.
He said the British Ambassador to the UN visited him last week, followed by the Ambassador of Guyana, before Gafoor’s visit.
Ibrahim, who recently emerged chairman of two prominent UN committees, said his leadership would be guided by fairness, accountability and efficiency.
He assured member states that resources under the UN Fifth Committee would be allocated equitably.
“I will be fair to all in allocation of resources under the Fifth Committee, and every country will have a say,” he said.
The Fifth Committee handles the United Nations’ administrative and budgetary matters, while the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, also known as the Committee of 34, deals with issues relating to UN peacekeeping operations.
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