Barely a week after he called on the business community in Belgium and Luxembourg to make Nigeria their investment destination, Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium Obinna Chiedu Onowu yesterday in Brussels presented his Letters of Credence to the President of European Council, Charles Michel, a development expected to further cement the relationship between Nigeria and the European Union.
Immediately after the presentation of Letters of Credence, Ambassador Onowu held a bilateral discussion with Charles Michel details of what was not made known to the media, but it is believed that it would centre on Nigeria-EU road map.
The European Council defines the EU’s overall political direction and priorities. It sets EU’s policy agenda by adopting conclusions during European Council meetings which identify issues of concern and actions to take.
The members of the European Council are the heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council President and the President of the European Commission.
Other Ambassadors who presented their Letters of Credence to the President of European Council yesterday were: Mr. Rogelio Granguillhome Morfin Ambassador of the United Mexican States to the European Union; Mr Tshering Gyaltsshen Penjor, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the European Union; Ms. Rita Adam, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the European Union; Mr. Lindsay Crosidale-Appeby, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the European Union; Mr. José Gabriel Lambour Penallonzo, Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to the European Union; and Mr. Nguyen Van Thao Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the European Union.
It would be recalled that Ambassador Onowu, also presented his Letters of Credence to Ms.Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission in July.
Just last week, Onowu hosted members of Belgium Luxemburg Nigeria Chamber of Commerce (BLNCC) at an event tagged “Ambassador meet and Greet” in Brussels where he called on the business community in Belgium and Luxemburg to invest in Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria is not only a major investment hub, but the largest economy in Africa adding “a country that had just crawled out of recession last year in the first quarter of this year recorded 0.5% growth in its GDP and 5.01% in the second quarter; this a huge plus to Nigeria’s economy, particularly with the 5.01% growth recorded in the second quarter, 92% of which was from the non-oil sector”.
