Nigeria is seeking to expand its share of the Mexican fertiliser market and introduce refined petroleum products to the country as part of efforts to boost exports and earn more foreign exchange.
Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, disclosed this on Wednesday after meeting with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, at the National Assembly in Abuja.
He said Nigeria was already exporting urea fertiliser to Mexico but that the volume remained below the country’s potential.
“We are already exporting urea fertiliser to Mexico. A lot of people do not know that. But the thing is, we are really doing very little,” Omokri said.
He added that Nigeria was in a position to supply the product at competitive prices, noting that the country could take advantage of challenges facing some existing suppliers.
The ambassador-designate also disclosed that arrangements were underway for Mexican officials to visit the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to explore possible trade partnerships.
Omokri said he had toured the refinery and discussed areas of cooperation with its owner, Aliko Dangote.
“There is already an invitation for the Mexicans to visit the refinery for a tour,” he said.
He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was committed to moving Nigeria away from dependence on raw material exports towards manufacturing and the export of finished products.
“What President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wants to do is to ensure that the products coming out of Nigeria are refined. We do not just want to be a resource country.
“We want to be a productive country, a country that manufactures what it consumes and also exports,” he said.
Omokri also identified maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea as an advantage for Nigeria’s export ambitions, saying the region had enjoyed more than two decades of uninterrupted peace.
Akpabio, who received the ambassador-designate alongside Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and other lawmakers, urged him to make economic diplomacy central to his assignment.
“As you have said, we are now on what we call economic diplomacy, for the purpose of making sure that you bring economic benefits to your country through this appointment,” the Senate president said.
He disclosed that the Senate leadership was considering a visit to Mexico to establish a Nigerian-Mexican parliamentary friendship group to promote cooperation between the two countries.
“We are also most likely going to visit you in Mexico and start a Mexican-Nigerian parliamentary friendship group in order to make your job easier and join you in promoting Nigeria,” Akpabio said.
He said the proposed group would encourage legislative exchanges and strengthen bilateral relations.
Akpabio also praised the Dangote refinery, describing it as a major industrial investment, and said the National Assembly had supported measures to strengthen domestic refining, including the naira-for-crude arrangement.
He urged Omokri to use his diplomatic position to advance Nigeria’s commercial and political interests in Mexico.
“Go there and be a good ambassador economically, politically and otherwise. I assure you that God will help you,” he said.
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