The Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, Sudirman Haseng, has said that Nigeria can overcome the difficult security challenges that it is currently facing.
Ambassador Haseng stated this yesterday when he visited the corporate office of LEADERSHIP Newspapers in Abuja.
He said that many developed nations did experience such difficulties at some periods in their life and still managed to address them and became developed.
On what Nigeria can do to overcome its many problems, Haseng said that the government should reach out to Nigerians in the Diaspora. He said, “The Nigerians in the Diaspora are very important to Nigeria’s development. They have the experience, having worked successfully abroad and can contribute greatly to the nation’s development.”
He also urged government at all levels to improve ethnic and regional relations by encouraging marriages between the many tribes in Nigeria since this promotes cooperation and understanding among the different tribes.
Nigeria and Indonesia have many similarities as both are multi-cultural, multi-tribal, were colonized by western powers and had military involvement in politics.
Haseng said that Nigeria can learn from Indonesia’s development. “Our diversity is seen as an asset and we strive to be united. We have promoted one language as a unifying force and this has worked. Maybe, Nigerians preach tolerance and peace more often and adopt a single local language,” he said.
With respect to the economy, he said that Indonesia as the 17th largest economy in the world and largest in Southeast Asia did not come by chance.
“We used to be poor but, through long-term economic planning, we privatised all sectors and reduced government’s influence in business. Today, government’s contribution to the economy is about 15 – 20 per cent while the private sector drives the economy,” the Indonesian envoy said. “Also, we paid much attention to agriculture and we are now the world’s largest producer of palm oil, the third largest producer of cocoa and rubber.”
He said that Nigeria is a very important economic partner to Indonesia and that, last year, the trade volume between the two countries was $1.5billion and is expected to be higher this year.
In September 2010, Nigeria and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Bi-National Commission (BNC) to promote relations in five key areas of shared mutual interest. Haseng said that the BNC agreement will be signed by April this year.