Buhari Gets Offered Special $6bn Infrastructure Loan In China

China has offered Nigeria a loan worth $6bn to
fund infrastructure projects in Africa’s biggest
economy.
“It is a credit that is on the table as soon as we
identify the projects,” the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, told reporters who
traveled with President Muhammadu Buhari to
China.
“It won’t need an agreement to be signed; it is just
to identify the projects and we will access it.”
Also, the President’s man on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu, said the Chinese President, Xi
Jinping, offered $15m agricultural assistance to
Nigeria for the establishment of 50 demonstration
farms.
The deal was in response to Buhari’s vow to make
Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.
The offer, according to Shehu, was made during
talks between Buhari’s delegation and high-
ranking Chinese government officials led by
Jinping.
During the talks, China and Nigeria also agreed to
strengthen military and civil service exchanges as
part of a larger capacity building engagement.
In line with this, China offered to raise its
scholarship awards to Nigerian students from 100
to 700 annually, while 1,000 other Nigerians
would be given vocational and technical training
by China annually.
Shehu quoted Jinping as applauding the war
against corruption being waged by Buhari and
assured him that Nigeria would always have a
special place in the affairs of China.
Buhari, after the talks, directed that technical
committees be immediately established to finalise
discussions on new joint Nigeria/China rail,
power, manufacturing, agricultural and solid
mineral projects.