Nigeria needs a strong party to lead the nation – Chinese Envoy

Mr Cui Jianchun, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria, says that Nigeria needs a strong party to lead it to attaining development just like the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Cui made this known on Wednesday in Abuja at a roundtable on “the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC): Outcomes and Significance for Nigeria and Africa.

The roundtable was organised by the Center for China Studies in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Abuja.

Cui said that China had been able to attain its development strides and was able to pull its over 1.4 billion population out of poverty under the CPC’s effective people’s policy.

He said that Nigeria could learn from China’s philosophy and let strong parties lead the country and ensure they implemented their campaign manifestos for the good of the people and development of the country.

“I have talked to the party leaders, we believe that the two major parties and all the 18 parties can benefit from the CPC 20th National Congress. I have the opportunity to share the ideas.

“Really, we believe that CPC can do a lot for the party building Nigeria because I believe party is not only about power, it is really about people.

“It is about development, it is about how to lead the nation to achieve the good vision.

“We are continuing to do the information sharing next week. We think that we need a strong party in Nigeria, we need a party to lead the nation.

“The Chinese philosophy is that the party is not only for the platform, the manifesto of the campaign but most importantly, how can we implement the manifesto of the party.

“Chinese lessons, Chinese experience can be shared with the Nigerian side,” Cui said.

Mr Charles Onunaiju, Director, Center for China Studies said that Africa and Nigeria to be specific had benefitted greatly from Africa the Communist Party led government.

Onunaiju said the completed Lekki Deep Sea Port which would make Nigeria a Maritime Hub in West-Africa, was an initiative of the China-Africa cooperation, especially since Nigeria engaged in the Belt and Road Initiative designed by China in 2013.

He said it was, however, important that Nigeria took a cue from China’s Communist Party and apply it to the Nigerian context where political parties should be focused on solving problems rather than a jamboree.

“The most important thing is for us, of course, we will always do it in our way, put it in our own context.

“But I think the general thing is that party congresses should be focused on solving problems. It should not be jamborees.

“Party congress in China draws up a roadmap, it is not about candidates wanting to be this, wanting to be that.

“This is the lessons from the congress of the Communist Party of China. Each time it is held, it is a sober organisation, it is the most important political festival in China. It develops new paradigm, new critical roadmaps on the way forward.

“Party congresses should be defined by concrete deliverables, what has it delivered, how are our people engaged, are people more excluded, are people more involved, in what ways can the people be more involved.

“How can we assess how far we have gone, what are the policy options we have executed in the past, how has it impacted on the people?

“If you read the general secretary of the party, he catalogues everything that has been achieved, also underscores the challenges ahead and then defines a roadmap.

“Party platforms should be more tailored to deliverables, to practical tangibles, this is the lessons from China who also has many things in common with us, a developing country, from third world to first world.

“Forty-five years ago, Nigeria was richer than China, today, it is a different story. So we can do more not to make our party congress just jamborees, our political party more than music.

“Let it be a defining framework for launching ourselves to the new phase of development,” Onunaiju said.

Also speaker, a former lawmaker, Sen. Shehu Sani said there was a lot that Nigeria needed to learn from China, especially periodic meetings of political parties to discuss successes, challenges and way forward.

Sani also suggested that the Chinese government should create opportunities for Nigerian political leaders to participate in the CPC’s National Congress to learn from them and apply it to the Nigerian context.

The 20th National Congress of the CPC held from Oct. 16 to Oct. 22 in Beijing, China.