President Goodluck Jonathan said Thursday in Beijing that the
increasing exploitation and utilization of shale gas and other alternative
sources of energy by the United States and other advanced nations of the world
has made it more urgent for Nigeria to move faster towards the diversification
of its economy.
Speaking in an interview with China Television, President
Jonathan said that the increasing utilization of alternative sources of energy
was a matter of concern for Nigeria and other oil exporting nations.
“That is why we have to increase the pace of diversifying our
economy and moving our country away from dependence on the oil and gas industry.
“We must work towards greater industrialization add more value
to our agricultural products, develop our solid minerals potentials and other
sectors of our economy before the time comes when crude oil may no longer be
dominant as a global source of energy,” the President said.
At a meeting with the Nigerian community in China, President
Jonathan commended the National Assembly for its ongoing process of expanding
the coverage of the Local Content Act to sectors other than oil and gas, saying
that the move will further stimulate domestic industrialization and contribute
significantly to the desired diversification of Nigeria’s economy.
Responding to concerns raised by a member of the community about
Nigerian professionals having to compete with expatriates from China and other
countries for employment opportunities in Nigeria, the President said that
Nigeria’s immigration laws and expatriate quotas provide adequate protection
for Nigerian workers.
“If our immigration personnel do their job as they are expected
to do it, then you are all adequately protected,” he said.
President Jonathan urged Nigerian students and professionals in
China to imbibe the positive traits of the Chinese and come home to contribute
to national development.
“You are in a country that is a super-power, a country that is
technologically developed, a country of hardworking people who work day and
night. If you imbibe this culture and pass through their training, you will all
be in a position to come home and help us to develop our own country,” the
President told students and professionals at the interactive session.
He assured them that his administration was totally committed to
making a positive difference in the lives of all Nigerians.
“As a people, we must build our country. I can assure you that
we are working steadily to do so. Our vision and roadmap are very clear,”
President Jonathan told members of the Nigerian community.
Before his meeting with the Nigerian community, the President
addressed a large turn-out of Chinese investors at a Nigeria-China Business
Forum in the Beijing World Trade Centre and urged them to take advantage of the
very generous investment incentives currently being offered by the Federal
Government.
President Jonathan assured the Chinese business community of the
safety of their current and future investments in Nigeria.
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