Francesca Odimgbe
Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the State Government will continue to deepen bilateral relations with other regions of the world to enhance development and foster economic growth for the benefit of all residents in the State.
Sanwo-Olu spoke on Friday during a courtesy visit by the Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Dickon Mitchell, at the Lagos House, Marina. Mitchell was accompanied by the Chairman of Dangote Groups, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
Speaking during the courtesy visit, the Governor, who lauded the Grenada Prime Minister for his leadership skills, called for more African-Carribean partnerships in the areas of arts, culture, entertainment, tourism, and infrastructure development, among others.
He said, “We commend and congratulate you for all the Caribbean nations to have given you the mantle of leadership right now. We believe that it is apt, and you will lead the Caribbean countries very well, and, in your time, we will begin to see African-Caribbean relationships grow.
“We are convinced that we are closer to ourselves than other parts of the world, and we also look alike. We believe in your leadership, and we believe you will not only take Caribbean nations to the world; Grenada will also benefit from your leadership at this time.
“We are willing to advance relationships between us and our people in the area of culture in your region and how we get our people across from Africa and Nigeria into the Caribbean. We have an airline that we are talking to, and let us see how that takes off.
“We are happy to see how we can further deepen bilateral movement in arts, culture, and entertainment, which are the things that are common between the two regions. We would look at how we can develop mineral resources and create an ecosystem that our people can indeed be very intentional, deliberate, and create businesses in the two regions.”
Sanwo-Olu commended Alhaji Dangote, whom he described as a courageous man for the audacious refinery project in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos. He expressed optimism that Nigerians would be the major beneficiaries in the long run.
Speaking earlier, the Prime Minister of Grenada, said the visit was to consolidate his discussion with Governor Sanwo-Olu during his visit to Grenada last year, on trade and investment.
He lauded the giant stride of Nigeria in the area of agriculture, fashion, music and cultural heritages, with plans to work on logistics for movement of goods and people between the two countries.
Mitchell also commended the Governor for creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in Lagos State, especially for the support for the Dangote Refinery situated in the State.
The Prime Minister’s children and some of his aides were also part of the entourage visiting Nigeria for the first time.