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FCT MINISTER RECEIVES AMBASSADOR OF SOMALIA TO NIGERIA

…Pledges support for Foreign Missions

1.    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has pledged the commitment of the FCT Administration to making the FCT more comfortable for its guests, especially Foreign Missions.

2.    The FCT Minister made the pledge when he received the Ambassador of Somalia to Nigeria, His Excellency, Jamal Mohammed Barrow who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Thursday, December 14, 2023.

3.    The FCT Minister, who also assured of the support and cooperation of the FCT Administration for Foreign Missions, equally promised to approve the request for land allocation to enable the construction of the Somali Chancery in Abuja.

4.    He said, “We are here to make things comfortable for our guests. Whatever you think that FCT will do, do not hesitate to let us know. We are always willing to cooperate with our guests, particularly foreign missions”,

5.     “We will immediately call for the file so that you can have your parcel of land to be able to build your own chancery. I can assure you that after this discussion, I will call for the file so that you can have it approved and start building your Chancery”, he added

L-R: SSA to the FCT Minister on Land and Urban and Regional Planning, Michael Chinda, SSA on Legal and Multilateral Cooperation, Barrister Benedict Dauda, Somali Ambassador to Nigeria, HE Jamal Mohammed Barrow, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Special Adviser to the Ambassador Dr Benedict Ocheoha, Secretary for Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and PPP, Mr Charles Elechi, and General Counsel, FCTA, Barrister Salman Dako during the envoy’s visit to the FCTA on Thursday

6.    The FCT Minister, while noting that Nigeria and Somalia share a similar history of civil wars, also pledged the readiness of the FCT Administration to pass on its city development experiences to Somalia as the country seeks to develop its capital city of Mogadishu.

7.    Also responding to the invitation by the Envoy to visit the city of Mogadishu in order to have a better experience of how it looks, the FCT Minister assured that he will make time to visit the city.

8.    The Minister said, “Mogadishu is a city, the capital of Somalia. We would also love to have the experience of how the city looks like. So, it is our belief that we will work out the arrangement to see how we can share things and pass on experiences in terms of development of cities.”

9.    Speaking earlier, Ambassador Mohammed Barrow said his visit to the FCTA was aimed at seeking the support and cooperation of the FCT Administration in developing the city of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

10.                    The Ambassador explained that Somalia, having shifted from the unitary system of government to federalism, following its prolonged periods of conflicts, sees Nigeria as the best role model, with similar experiences.

.FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike (right) listening to the Somali Ambassador to Nigeria HE Jamal Mohammed Barrow (left) during the envoy’s visit to the FCTA on Thursday.

11.                    The Ambassador therefore expressed the desire of Somalia to leverage the experience of the FCT in developing the capital of city Mogadishu and called for the support of the FCT Administration.

12.                    He said: “We hope that Nigeria is the best role model for Somalia now because we have gone through the same experiences like the Civil war and we feel that Nigeria can be our example in the future, especially the capital city of Abuja”.

13.                    The Envoy also commended the FCT Minister for the improved security and good leadership in the FCT and expressed the hope that Abuja would in the future become one of the best capital cities in the world under the leadership of the Minister.

14.                    “Our President sends his congratulations to you as the Minister of the FCT and he hopes that you would one day be in Somalia in Mogadishu and he would receive you,” the Envoy added.

15.                    Present during the visit were, the SSA to the Minister on Legal and Multilateral Cooperation, Barrister Benedict Daudu, General Counsel, Barrister Salman Dako, SSA on land and Urban and Regional Development, Michael Chinda, and Secretary for Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and PPP, Mr Charles Elechi.

ANTHONY OGUNLEYE

DIRECTOR OF PRESS

(OFFICE OF THE MINISTER)

14/12/2023

FCTA/ODP/PR/472