Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has called for stronger diplomatic ties between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with an emphasis on expanding educational exchange programmes and channeling scholarships through the National Assembly.
Speaking on Tuesday while hosting Saudi Arabia’s new Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, in Abuja, Abbas described the bilateral relationship between both countries as “extremely, very historic,” noting that diplomatic ties date back to 1961.
The Speaker said members of the National Assembly, as direct representatives of their constituents, should be included in the distribution of scholarship opportunities to ensure they reach Nigerians at the grassroots.
He commended Saudi Arabia for supporting Nigerian students over the past 40 years, adding that many of the country’s accomplished clerics and scholars attribute their educational foundation to Saudi-funded scholarships.
Abbas cited a similar arrangement with Algeria, where an agreement reached about six months ago has put more than 200 scholarship slots under the process of being allocated to the Nigerian Parliament.
“We hope in the coming months of your being here in Nigeria, you will initiate the same kind of initiative, where support for education—scholarships—will not just be purely done at the level of the Ministry of External Affairs but also at the parliamentary level, which is a separate arm of government that is more representative of the people,” he said, according to the statement signed by Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker.
Drawing comparisons between the two countries, Abbas noted that Nigeria has Africa’s largest Muslim population while Saudi Arabia is regarded as the Islamic capital of the world.
He also pointed out that both are major oil producers and regional powerhouses in their respective continents, making cooperation a “win-win” for economic, political, and social development.
The Speaker further highlighted centuries-old people-to-people ties, saying Nigerians have been relating with Saudi Arabia for over 800 years, with several generations of Nigerian-Saudis now living in the kingdom.
Earlier, Ambassador Al-Balawi said the purpose of his visit was to explore areas of cooperation between both countries and pledged to work diplomatically to enhance the relationship.
