How Canada will assist Nigeria fight terrorism, corruption – Envoy

You were recently in Kano and Kaduna states, what is the objective of your visit?This was my first visit to these states since the end of elections and I went there to establish contacts with the new administrations. I was delighted to meet with the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II and Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i […]

You were recently in Kano and Kaduna states, what is the objective of your visit?
This was my first visit to these states since the end of elections and I went there to establish contacts with the new administrations. I was delighted to meet with the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II and Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State.
In which areas do you hope to strengthen ties with the Nigerian authorities?
We have a very broad relationship between Canada and Nigeria. In the health sector, we are involved in the polio eradication efforts and we are working with UN in that area. We are very please we are making progress in that direction. By July 31, it should be one year in Nigeria without a single polio case so, we are getting very close to polio eradication.
The larger part of our presence in the health side relates to the health of mothers, new born and children. We have supported a number of projects in this sector and we shall continue to do more through the UN agencies in 15 states including Kaduna State. The projects were meant to improve access to healthcare services as well as training of midwives and nurses.
We are supporting a project aimed at stopping the incidences and diarrhea among children in four states including Kaduna with some donor agencies. Oral rehydration salt will be freely distributed and about four million children were targeted in the next four years.
There is a project for enhancing the capacities of front line health care workers in two states namely Bauchi and Cross River.  
You work with aid agencies in carrying out your projects in Nigeria, how do you ensure effectiveness of your donations?
Well, whenever a development program decides to provide support to a project, we will be very careful about the organizations involved. So we do our homework before and once the project is launched, a committee is set in place that includes us as a donor country, the Nigerian government and the implementing agency itself.
How would you say your country had assisted Nigeria on economic growth?
I see Nigeria as a country with tremendous potentials in economic terms. Nigeria has achieved robust growth for a number of years ; 6 to 7 per cent over the last decade. We do recognize that at the present times the economic situation is somewhat difficult looking at the dwindling oil price but by looking in the long term, we see the potentials of this country and the energy of the private sector.  Part of my role as High Commissioner and my team is to inform Canadian companies and businesses about opportunities in Nigeria and help them find Nigerian counterparts when they come. I am very encouraged we have gone from about 20 Canadian companies to nearly 80 over the last two years. The companies sell products such as aeroplanes, helicopters and software for tax collections. There is also a major investment in solar energy in Delta State and a small investment in Katsina.
As I said many times, when I look at Nigeria and the areas of growth I see a lot of similarities with Canada. One example is the mining sector; Nigeria has great mining potentials. Canada is a country with a hundred-year mining tradition with large companies with great expertise. So, I am hoping that in the years ahead, Nigeria can attract those companies for investments.
In the agricultural sector, very good things are happening in Nigeria with robust growth. In the renewable energy sector, we have companies doing businesses in Nigeria.
What was the reason for your visit to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i?
Well it was my first visit to the Governor and the essence was to establish contact with him and inform him about our activities. I knew his priorities and we talked about economic growth. I briefed him on what we are doing in the health sector
What is your total disbursement to Nigeria?
The amount varies from year to year; we spent over $50 million between 2012 and 2013. We have a fiscal year that goes from 1 April to 31 March which is 12 months period.
You are involved in the fight against polio, how do you determine the level of eradication of the disease?
We work together with experienced UN agencies and the Nigerian government. We are tracking their activities and I believe the information they have is very reliable. If you look back twenty or thirty years ago, you would see the presence of polio in quite a number of countries but the disease is only in three or four countries now. In all of these countries it was the UN that played the role of monitoring and I am quite confident they have a good body of monitoring.
What did Canada benefit from the recent Women World Cup it hosted?
Canada was delighted to host the tournament and we were sorry Nigeria’s team, the Super Falcons did not get through to the final but they were good. I traveled a lot with them. Last year we hosted the under-20 cup and Nigeria got to the final. I understand they emerged victorious on more than one occasion. There is a strong tradition of football in Nigeria and we were delighted to host the Nigerian team.
What program do you have on girl child education and forced marriage?
Another area where Canada was active internationally in her foreign policy was on the issue of forced marriage and child marriage. This is a phenomena we see around the World and we have some incidences in Canada and we are pleased to have a growing movement globally meant to bring a change and ensure that no child is married out in an inappropriate age and no woman is forced to marry against their will. The African Union has endorsed the issue and is planning to introduced plans of actions across the continent. The UN too, had endorsed it and we have been working together with civil societies in Nigeria to find ways to make progress in this regard. This is by ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality education and be empowered.
How would you assist Nigeria in the fight againt terror?
Canada has been deeply concerned about terrorism around the World including Nigeria and we express sympathy to the victims of Boko Haram atrocities. We have seen of recent, terrorist incidences happening around the world including Canada.
In the case of Nigeria, we were encouraged with the progress the military had made in recent months by removing the Boko Haram sect from the towns they occupied in the North-East; we wish the new government of Muhammadu Buhari success in its effort and commitment to consolidate that gain and restore security and development. Security is essential not just for the physical well being of the people but also in economic terms. When we talk about trade, it is difficult to attract investment to environment where there is a sense of insecurity. So, there are a lot of reasons why we should work as much as we can to ensure that Nigeria like all other countries are secure. Canada has provided some assistance in the area of training to the Nigeria Police Force on intelligence gathering, interview techniques, post blast investigation as well as counter terrorism training regionally in West Africa through organisations such as the Interpol and we will continue to look for measures in areas that we might be able to help.
Do you see hope in Nigerian government in the fight against corruption?
When a new government comes in, there is always an occasion of hope because new people are brought in with new vision. We wish President Buhari and Governor El-Rufa’i all the best.
Corruption in any country is not something that is ended overnight but I would say we are encouraged by the strong commitment by both federal and Kaduna state governments and we are committed to helping out in any way we can. By that I mean, Canada like any other country in World had experienced corruption and we developed techniques and laws to combat it. So, we are completely open to identifying ways where we can be able to share experiences with Nigeria.