Chinese Ambassador Dunhai Yu Pays Courtesy Visit to Commandant, National Defence College, Nigeria

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Dunhai Yu, paid a courtesy visit to the Commandant, National Defence College (NDC) Nigeria, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, at the College in Abuja. During the visit, Ambassador Yu acknowledged that the NDC Nigeria is not new to him, recalling the existing relationship between NDC Nigeria and the National Defence University (NDU) China. He highlighted the recent visit of NDU China to NDC Nigeria as a testament to the strong ties between both institutions.

The Ambassador also referenced the high-level diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria, emphasizing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was among the select African leaders honoured with a state visit to China, out of 54 African countries. Ambassador Yu expressed China’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Nigeria, particularly in security and defence training. He underscored the shared history of both nations, noting that China and Nigeria have both experienced civil wars and, as such, can strengthen collaboration in peace-building, strategic defence, and security efforts. He further encouraged enhanced bilateral engagements to foster knowledge exchange and capacity-building between the two countries.

In his remarks, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu acknowledged the long-standing relationship between Nigeria and China in defence cooperation. He noted the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NDU China and NDC Nigeria, which is currently under review for consideration. The Commandant reaffirmed NDC Nigeria’s commitment to sustaining and expanding these engagements to enhance strategic cooperation in defence education and security matters. Both parties agreed on the importance of continuous dialogue and collaboration to advance mutual interests in defence and security, strengthening the already robust China-Nigeria relations.