President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, addressed the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in Moscow.

Saraki arrived Russia on Tuesday, alongside other Nigerian lawmakers, at the invitation of the Chairperson of the Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko and was received by the Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Prof. Steve Ugba in Moscow. Among the Nigerian delegation are, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Chairman Senate Committee on Youth and Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, Chairman Senate Committee on Airforce, Senator Duro Faseyi, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ibrahim Danbaba and Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu.

The three-day parliamentary visit to Russia, according to a statement by Special Assistant to Saraki on New Media, Olu Onemola, is “aimed at deepening legislative best practices and further strengthening the relationship between both countries” Addressing the Russian Parliament Wednesday morning, Saraki talked about the strength and entrepreneurial spirit of Nigeria youth, especially in the areas of sports, arts and entertainment, while beckoning on Russia to invest in Nigeria.

The following are 10 notable points of Saraki’s address Wednesday morning.

THE WORLD CUP
“It is wonderful to be back in your beautiful country, especially during the World Cup, and for this, I wish to congratulate the Russian people for the successful hosting of the 2018 World Cup tournament. “The burst of colour, spectacle and sportsmanship on display – as well as the smooth running of the event, are a reflection of the level of planning, preparation and capacity on your part as host nation. It
is a vibrant symbol of global unity that serves as a most fortuitous backdrop to our visit.”

THE INVITATION BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FEDERATION COUNCIL
“My first visit to Russia was in October last year, to attend the IPU General Assembly where I met Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council. “She graciously extended an invitation to me to visit the Russian Parliament. We are here today in this
hallowed chamber as guests of Madam Speaker and this honourable House, in fulfilment of that promise.
“I thank you most sincerely, Madam Speaker, for this kind gesture. I have every confidence that this will mark the beginning of a new phase of inter-parliamentary cooperation between our two nations, as well as a springboard for renewed vigour in Nigeria-Russia relations in general.”

AFRICA, NIGERIA HAVING STRENGTH IN ITS NUMBERS
“Africa is looking to the future, and Nigeria is at the forefront of that push. Africa is the future… More than half of the countries with the highest annual growth rate are on our continent, and this has been the case since the Year 2000… “Furthermore, a massive demographic dividend is expected to deliver an unprecedented advantage by 2050, when our continent will account for 40 percent of the world’s population — and one in four persons on earth will be African.”

THE POWER AND INNOVATION OF NIGERIA’S YOUNG PEOPLE
“We are the youngest continent, with a population of 1.3 billion Africans, whose numbers are set to double by 2050; and more than half of whom are young people. “The number of African youth expected to reach working age by 2035 will exceed that of the rest of
the entire world combined. “Nowhere is the surging power of Africa’s youth more inescapable than in Nigeria. Ours is the most
populous country on the youngest continent, with some 68 percent of the Nigerian population between 18 to 35 years of age. This youth demographic is transforming every sphere of life in our country, especially with regard to entrepreneurship, sports, arts and entertainment.”

NIGERIA, THE ‘GATEWAY’ TO AFRICA
“Fellow parliamentarians, as leader of the Nigerian delegation to your country, my interest is the interest of the Nigerian people; as yours is the interest of the people of Russia. “The recalibration of the world and the various power blocs is happening right before our eyes. In the
emerging global order, world powers are looking to Africa, and it is not difficult to see why. Africa is not merely rising; Africa is here. There is a world of opportunities on the continent. The 54 nations of Africa represent a huge geographical bloc with enormous potential for investment and strategic partnerships that will benefit only those that venture.”

WHY RUSSIA MUST RECKON WITH NIGERIA
“Our position, therefore, is simple: those who are serious about expanding their interests in Africa must necessarily see Nigeria – the powerhouse in the region – as the gateway to the continent. “Russia should reckon with Nigeria as the central area of focus in Africa, and take a more serious view of its longstanding ties to our end of the world.”

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN RUSSIA AND NIGERIA
“Our two countries share certain, striking similarities. Our two nations are among the 10 most populous countries in the world; and are among the Top 10 in gas reserves. “With a population of nearly 190 million people, Nigeria is set to surpass the United States of America
as the third most populous country in the world by 2050. “In terms of diversity, Russia at 190 ethnic groupings is not too far behind Nigeria’s 250… With Russia and Nigeria projected to be the biggest economies in Europe and Africa respectively in just three decades from now, it would be a travesty if we did not strive to strengthen cooperation and partnership to reap the gains in terms of GDP growth.”

ON NIGERIAN STARS: DAVIDO, TIMAYA, WIZKID, TIWA SAVAGE, etc.
“Ours is the second largest film industry in the world; and contemporary Nigerian music has gone global. I would not be surprised if Nigerian stars like Timaya, WizKid, Davido or Tiwa Savage are selling out concert halls in Moscow or St. Petersburg very soon, as they have been doing in major cities around the world.”

THE SUPER EAGLES
“In sports, well, please allow me to say humbly, that it will be difficult to take your eyes off Nigeria during the ongoing World Cup tournament.
“If anything, we have already won the battle of the football jerseys; the Super Eagles kit is an instant classic, a coveted collector’s item, universally acclaimed as the best national kit in Russia 2018. “Naturally, the entire Nigerian nation is behind our team, optimistic for a sterling performance in the rest of the tournament and confident that our boys will now produce the sleek moves to match the sleek looks.”

TERRORISM & HUMAN TRAFFICKING
“Fellow parliamentarians, there are many other issues that call for closer cooperation between our two countries – which contribute to sustainable peace in the larger world – and these include, Terrorism and Human Trafficking. “For one, Russia is currently one of the destinations where young Nigerians are trafficked for sexual exploitation. This is a worrying phenomenon for both our countries, and we should develop common strategies for tackling the problem… we look to Russia to join us in building stronger collaboration for
the fight against this common enemy. “Terrorism, most significantly in the shape of the Boko Haram sect, has continued to pose a serious
challenge to the internal security of Nigeria. When, at the height of the crisis, we were having difficulty obtaining international support, Russia memorably saved the day by supplying military equipment and assisting us with the training of personnel. We are grateful that you did not abandon us in our hour of need. While Boko Haram is largely decimated now, the threat remains, and new terrorism challenges
are arising…”

Source:https://www.infonewsnigeria.com/discussion/1295/10-things-saraki-said-about-nigeria-to-russian-parliament?new=1

A big thank you to our leader Dr. Burkola Saraki. Well done sir!

Rebranding Nigeria is the most herculean task one can undertake...No matter how hard you try to project Nigeria's image via positiva abroad...you are bound to fail...

The next day one Okafor man of a drug peddler or Yemi of an online hacker or Yusuf will try to escape from Saudi Arabia while on Hajj; will be arrested and spoil your show...The coming week one lie lie Alhaji lai of a minister will tell a lie from the pit of hell like; "Buhari's administration don crush Thailand's rice mills.." The next month one Bubu of a president who is so lazy that his cows are roaming the streets of his country,will go abroad and call the youths that voted for him 'lazy minds'

One begins to ponder and wonder whether it is a crime being a Nigerian by default. Great country people, e no be our fault say we are from Nija. We can only rebrand ourselves and work selflessly for the upliftment of the entire peoplekind.


Be good to yourself
Be good to Nigeria
Naija all the Way

This is how leaders are meant to present their people out there! Not corript, lazy as the northern President blivs.


May the eagles prove the world wrong and win their next two matches!

Haha. Battle of jerseys won.

ok.

Can His Excellency be humble enough to learn from His Excellency?
He won't.

Nigerian leaders sabi give fine speech eh..

But to do the talk na where the problem dey.

Who can borrow me laff abeg?
I want to laff at the pERsident of LazyYouths..

I reserved my comments.

All those people up there comparing a trained Medical Doctor to someone that dropped out of Koranic school to join the army...Nor vex me oh

Saraki may be a big thief, but still better than saint Buhari

That's a well thought out diplomatic speech. He appealed to Russian sense of leadership and organization when congratulating them on the World Cup hosting. He sold our enormous population as a medium for potential penetration for Russian business.

bedspread:
Thank GOD it wasn't our President that was Invited................

abeg abeg we are talking about human beings here not one animal that calls himself president

This is how true leaders speak of their own to outsiders... If you don't speak well of yourself or your houshold, outsiders will treat you and regard you as trash....

I've never been a fan of Saraki nor any politician but I just love all he said about Nigeria and Nigerians.

I pray Bubu will take a cue from what Saraki has done and stop destroying our image outside.

Politics aside. Saraki is the best senate president we've had since 1999. He has raised the bar.

imagine if it was Buhari, all u will hear is we are fighting corruption

Good speech, but just scrapes the surface. Instead of giving worthy mentions to Wizkid and others, why not mention scientists and other intellectual people who are actually making a difference.
We have a large amount of youth but these days it looks like a disadvantage. Most are lazy and looking for a shortcut to riches and the Russian parliament knows just that.

seanswitch:
Politics aside. Saraki is the best senate president we've had since 1999. He has raised the bar.

I said this some days back and one APC supporter was busy shouting without saying anything. I'm no fan of the man, especially his family's infamy in Kwara. But as a Senate President, he has performed admirably.

ok �

ifeanyija:
imagine if it was Buhari, all u will hear is we are fighting corruption

That dude really has nothing to offer

Nice speech

Chaiiiiii see speech! thank you Mr senate president.this is how it should have been but someone went to disgrace himself and his entire household thinking he disgraced me they should have invited transmission officer self.

Now this is a breath of fresh air...

seanswitch:
Politics aside. Saraki is the best senate president we've had since 1999. He has raised the bar.

Keep falling for semantic rubbish......the guy is a CROOK! No more no less!

Thank God no b bubu come, e for dn insult us again and fool the nationas usual
when e come to embarrassment, bubu just do it without there no even ask am

MartinCorridon:
He should have taught Putin a thing or two about EMBEZZLEMENT

Exactly! Just a sweet talking useless crook that should be in JAIL!

HARDDON:
This is how leaders are meant to present their people out there! Not corript, lazy as the northern President blivs.


May the eagles prove the world wrong and win their next two matches!

True talk.


Just the right way to present your country's image overseas.

Intelligent man

I swear this is brilliant