By DEJI ABDULWAHAB

The King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals has offered postgraduate scholarships to 50 Nigerian students to study petroleum and mineral disciplines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja, during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.

Al-Balawi said the gesture was to deepen the existing relationship between Saudi Arabia and Nigerian governments and their people.

According to him, both countries are key regional economic powers with strong potential for deeper partnership.

“We are working on agreements to boost trade and investment between both countries.

“I am confident that our bilateral relations will continue to grow and progress guided by the wisdom and shared commitment of our two leaderships,” he said.

The envoy explained that the scholarship package covers air tickets, accommodation and monthly stipends for the beneficiaries.

He added that the programme reflected the strong relationship between the governments and peoples of both countries.

Al-Balawi also thanked President Bola Tinubu for his solidarity with Saudi Arabia, noting that the President’s position underscored the strength of Saudi-Nigerian relations.

Responding, Idris commended the Saudi government for the scholarship offer, describing it as beneficial to Nigeria’s development needs.

“The first big news we came with here was that there is going to be a resumption of direct flight between Saudi Arabia and Abuja. And we look forward to that happening after all the protocols have been made.

“The second one and the big one today is that up to 50 Nigerian students will have the opportunity to have postgraduate studies in petroleum and mineral studies, key areas that Nigeria requires to deepen its investment in the mineral and oil sector.”

The minister congratulated the ambassador on presenting his letter of credence to President Tinubu and appreciated Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts at strengthening bilateral ties.

According to him, the relationship between Nigeria and Saudi is a very deep one, going back to 1961 when formal relationships were established.

“Since then, we have had a number of cooperation between the Saudi government and Nigeria in the area of trade, commerce, in tourism, especially religious visits to Umrah and Hajj.

“And a number of our people are based in Saudi Arabia, some of them undergoing various courses.

“Others have actually been working in Saudi Arabia, having gotten the permission to do that. Now, the cooperation that we have between these two countries is a very deep one,” he said. (NAN)

• From left: Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef Bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris. Credit: Ministry of Information

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