President Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has invited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to undertake a state visit to Singapore as both countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation.
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, disclosed the development in a statement issued by the Nigerian Mission House in New York.
According to Ibrahim, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, delivered a letter from President Tharman during a visit to the Nigerian Permanent Mission House.
Ibrahim thanked the Singaporean government for the invitation and assured Gafoor that he would convey the message to President Tinubu. He also said the Nigerian president would make time to visit Singapore in the near future.
Singapore Seeks Deeper Cooperation With Nigeria
The invitation comes amid efforts by Nigeria and Singapore to deepen cooperation, with Ibrahim saying Nigeria’s economic reforms had attracted international interest.
The Nigerian envoy said Singapore was interested in exchanging experiences with Nigeria, particularly in areas involving multilateralism and national development.
Ibrahim also spoke about Tinubu’s reform programme, comparing its scale with the transformation associated with Singapore’s late former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Those remarks were made by Ibrahim in his capacity as Nigeria’s UN envoy and were not presented as an independent assessment.
The ambassador said Tinubu holds President Tharman in high regard and congratulated Singapore on the reforms that transformed the Southeast Asian country.
The Tinubu Singapore visit is expected to provide an opportunity for discussions on areas of mutual interest if and when the trip takes place.
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Ibrahim Takes Up UN Committee Roles
During the engagement, Gafoor also congratulated Ibrahim on his emergence as chairman of two United Nations committees.
Ibrahim recently assumed leadership of the Fifth Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Matters and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, also known as the Committee of 34 or C-34.
Speaking about his responsibilities, Ibrahim pledged to promote fairness, accountability and efficiency in his work.
He also assured member states that the allocation of resources under the UN Fifth Committee would be handled equitably.
The Nigerian envoy further disclosed that his office had recorded increased diplomatic engagements in recent weeks, including visits by the British and Guyanese ambassadors to the UN before Gafoor’s visit.
The proposed Tinubu Singapore visit comes as Nigeria continues to engage with international partners on economic reforms, development and multilateral cooperation.