Above: Non-Resident Nigerian High Commissioner Laraba Elsie-Bhutto and Governor-General Sir Arthur Foulkes (BIS Photo/Derek Smith)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Stronger ties — particularly in the tourism sector — were on the agenda during a meeting in Nassau last week between Bahamian Governor-General and Laraba Elsie-Bhutto, the new non-resident Nigerian High Commissioner to the Bahamas.

The ceremony to accredit Elsie-Bhutto, and subsequent meeting, marked “another chapter in the continued development of strong, mutually-beneficial bilateral relations and cooperation between our two countries,” Foulkes said. “Our two countries share historical commonalities that cannot be denied, and which will continue to be promoted.”

Foulkes said the Nigerian government was to be commended for its efforts to tackle climate change — and to be part of the 20 most developed global economies by 2020.

On the tourism agenda, Foulkes said the Bahamas would welcome opportunities to strengthen its relations with Nigeria in the sector.

“It is our hope that, moving forward with these proposals, we can see the fruit of our labour manifest in meaningful progress for both Nigeria and the Bahamas,” he said.

In November, Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Adeyemi Ashiru met with his Jamaican counterpart to discuss similar opportunities, along with energy and air services.