Prime Minister Samuel Hinds yesterday received a courtesy call from Nigerian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Musa John Jen.
Mr. Jen is the holder of a BSc in Sociology, from the Ahmadu Bello University in Zara. He also received his West African School certificate from the college of preliminary studies in Yola.
From 1977-1989, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Guyana served as a teacher at the Jalingo Local Government. He also served as Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sport and Culture, and Commissioner for Rural Development and Water Resources from 1997-98 and 1998-99 respectively.
Speaking to the media after his engagement, the High Commissioner said that the visit will further strengthen the bilateral relations between Guyana and Nigeria.
“We have to work to find the ways and means of progressing the relations in different fields, in agriculture, tourism and culture, youth and sport,” the High Commissioner said.
He said that when the former President of Nigeria Umaru Yar’ Adua died a few months ago, Guyana was one of the first countries in the Caribbean to send letters of condolence and good will to the Government and the people of Nigeria.

He indicated that it is also one of the few countries that the Nigerian Government enjoys warm and excellent relations with, and as such, the visit was instructed by the President of Nigeria to extend the country’s gratitude.
Out of the fruitful discussions, Guyana is expected to receive another batch of Nigerian doctors to serve for a two-year span.
“We are also looking at collaboration in the area of agriculture because we see a lot of similarities in the topography of Guyana and Nigeria, and so we expect that in the space of time we will be able to collaborate, especially in rice and sugar, since we also have a lot of interest in that area,” he said.
Nigeria, which has a population of 150 million, currently imports rice from Brazil, China and India, and according to the High Commissioner, “I don’t see why we wouldn’t buy rice from Guyana.” (GINA)