Members of the second batch of 72 Nigerian graduates sponsored by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to study railway and transportation studies in China have graduated.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony in Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima said that since 2018 CCECC had collaborated with the federal government and Chang’an University to select and sponsor young Nigerians for further education in China.
The vice president, who described the programme as exactly what Nigeria needed, said it aligned perfectly with the principles of the President Bola Tinubu administration on solution searching to the country’s infrastructure challenges.
Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Ibrahim Hadejia, Shettima highlighted the recent launch of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund aimed at bridging the nearly $25bn annual infrastructure gap.
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The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, on his part, celebrated the return of the Nigerian students, who he said graduated from Chinese universities specialising in railway and transportation studies, emphasising the importance of the National Local Content Policy for railway development introduced in 2018.
The minister recalled that in 2018, the federal government further introduced the “Advocacy for Enhanced Local Content” in Nigeria’s infrastructural development based on Nigeria-Chinese bilateral agreements and directed the Federal Ministry of Transportation to ensure technical participation of competent and qualified local engineers, technicians and craftsmen in all facets of Nigerian-Chinese railway infrastructure development project.
The Chairman of CCECC Nigeria Ltd, Mr Jason Zhang, expressed pride in the graduates’ achievements and reiterated CCECC’s commitment to Nigeria’s infrastructure development.
The Managing Director of CCECC, David Wang, acknowledged the challenges the students faced, including academic pressure and cultural adjustment, while praising their resilience and adaptability, qualities that would greatly contribute to Nigeria’s modernisation efforts.
He disclosed that under the programme, the students sponsored by CCECC underwent a one-year language study in China before officially enrolling in their four-year undergraduate programme in Chang’an University.
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