NIGERIA: Brazil’s President Invites Tinubu To Visit Brazil

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

To deepen relations between Brazil and Nigeria, the President of Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has invited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to his country.

This development was disclosed by the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Viera, during a meeting with the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, in Abuja on Wednesday.

Viera, who led a delegation from the Latin American nation to Nigeria, is set to hold high-level discussions with Nigerian officials.

Both countries are expected to sign agreements to enhance their bilateral relations.

The minister commended President Tinubu’s participation in the G-20 Summit in Brazil last November, highlighting the significance of strategic dialogue and deeper collaboration in areas such as culture, economics, cooperation, and education.

He said: “It’s a pleasure to visit Nigeria. We were very pleased that President Tinubu attended the G-20 Summit in Brazil last November. Nigeria’s contributions to the G-20 are highly valued, and we hope President Tinubu will visit Brazil again soon.

“I also take this opportunity to convey President Lula’s desire to host President Tinubu in Brazil soon.”

Describing the ongoing consultations between the two countries’ ministries as essential, he noted that they build on previous engagements.

‘’As I mentioned, since the beginning of this mandate, this term in office of President Lula, which took place in early January 2023. We will continue to prepare for the coming events that we have.

‘’We have to work on our mechanism for strategic dialogue and to continue exploring ways to have deeper and closer, even deeper and even closer relations in all areas.’’

Ambassador Tuggar emphasized the deep historical ties between Nigeria and Brazil, noting that Brazil was the only Latin American country to attend Nigeria’s independence celebration.

He added: “We share many similarities, from our size and economies to our population and culture. This visit is a natural progression of our partnership.”