SAN FRANCISCO, February 25, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, in Mecca welcomed an offer by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to organize a financing roundtable in Abuja to mobilize more funds for investment and development of infrastructure in Nigeria.
The President of the IDB, Dr Ahmed Mohammed Ali made the offer at a meeting with the President who is currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Ali assured Buhari that the IDB will work with its traditional partners such as the Saudi Fund, the Kuwait Fund, Arab Bank for Development in Africa and the Abu Dhabi Fund, to increase the quantum of funding available to Nigeria.
According to Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the President restated his government’s determination to revamp and diversify the Nigerian economy rapidly in his response to the offer.
He welcomed the plan by the IDB to fast track the take-off of the Bilingual Education Program, aimed at integrating the Almajiri system of education with Western education in Nigeria.
“The days of Nigeria as a big oil producer with plenty of money are gone. We need all the support we can get to diversify our economy as quickly as possible,” he said.
“We also need to rehabilitate our infrastructure, develop the domestic capacity to feed ourselves and export the surplus.
The IDB had already provided US$ 98 million for the Bilingual Education Program in Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Osun and Yobe and plans to support similar projects in other states of Nigeria.
Story by David Oputah
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