Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has pledged to expand the country’s current diplomatic relationship with Ukraine as both countries explore new areas of mutual benefit.
This pledge was made on Friday while receiving the Ukrainian Ambassdor to Nigeria, Mr. Valerii Aleksandruk in his office at the Presidential Villa.
Osinbajo noted that the Buhari administration would be interested in working with Ukraine in the agriculture and steel sectors besides the ongoing cooperation in education.
According to him, Nigeria looks forward to the setting up of a Bi-National Commission that will deal with various issues and expand relations between both countries.
“Very soon we will be signing outstanding bilateral agreements,” the Vice President told the Ukrainian envoy.
The Vice President expressed Nigeria’s gratitude to Ukraine for government scholarships that Nigerian students have benefited from in the Eastern European nation and for its support in the areas of security including in the fight against the insurgents.
“We hope for more cooperation until we put down the evil of terrorism,” Osinbajo noted.
Earlier, the Ambassador of Ukraine informed the Vice President that there were a number of bilateral agreements waiting to be signed by the two countries in order to deepen the existing bilateral relations.
In a related development, the Vice President also received a delegation from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, which included the African Union Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Mrs. Pancy Tlakula.
Commenting on the free flow of information in the internet age, Osinbajo expressed optimism that what could not be obtained years back is made possible today with the use of internet.
He said “internet technology helps in terms of access to information; in fact, what we thought years ago was impossible is now made dramatically possible.”
According to him, “whomever tries to hide information now has very little hiding place as internet provides immediate access to information which greatly helps us.”
He noted that freedom of information is important, as people would have access to what government is all about.
He, however, said people must be taught how to make Freedom of Information law more practically useful, stressing that some of the challenges are illiteracy and the issue of reasonable “internet journalism.”