Nigerian  political party  leaders especially policy makers have once again been admonished to emulate the People’s Republic of China following the amazing landmark the country has made in science, technology,  and industrial development, through the instrume…

Nigerian  political party  leaders especially policy makers have once again been admonished to emulate the Peoples Republic of China following the amazing landmark the country has made in science, technology,  and industrial development, through the instrumentality of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
This was the crux of a stakeholders dialogue on Tuesday, June 22, organised by the Center for China Studies  (CCS) to mark the 100 years anniversary of the founding of the CPC, the political party that changed the fortunes of China from an agrarian society to a modern market-based economy with massive investment in technology and industrial development with enormous successes which has made China the second largest economy in the world.
The program which was organized in Abuja, under the theme CPC at 100: Trajectories, Achievements and Prospects, focused on engaging the Nigerian political parties to understand their roles as the drivers of the modern economy through strategic and innovative thinking that will rally the people to a new idea and move them to technological breakthroughs and rebuilding Nigerias ailing economy.
Chinese Amb to Nigeria
Director of the Centre for China Studies, Charles Onunaiju, in his remarks, emphasized the need for Nigerian party leaders, especially the ruling parties to think in original ways and produce for Nigeria a strategic roadmap that will engender technological innovation. He stressed that the Chinese experience can be replicated in Nigeria with a character that is unique to the nation but warned that this may not come by wishful thinking.
He said CPC epochal and eventful century of existence have left for us, a body of important lessons strategically germane to ameliorate the conditions in our country and the rest of Africa, that we would not let go of the crucial instructions to be derived from examining the experience of the Communist Party of China.
There are many more in the CPC experience that can add value to party building and governance but it is important to note that political parties play far more roles than winning elections. It must develop more farsighted perspectives on problem solving which should transcend periodic electoral calendar.
As we felicitate with our Chinese friends on the centenary of the CPC and its achievements, our purpose of this meeting is to reflect on our own conditions and re-energize our political parties to assume their historic roles in ameliorating the dire situation of our people.
Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun in his reactions said The CPC is a political party dedicated to the cause of human progress through investment in technology, research and human capacity and making new and greater contributions to mankind.
Also Speaking, national chairman and former presidential candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yabagi Yusuf Sani, noted that it has become imperative for the nations political parties to build a national consensus along shared national developmental values even as he called on the Chinese Government to put measures in place to scrutinize some of the loans being given to Nigeria to ensure effective use of the resources.
Former Senator, who represented Kaduna Central under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 8th Assembly, Shehu Sani called on the Chinese Government to be mindful of the kind of loans they give to Nigerian leaders, stressing that most of it may not be used to develop the nation after which debts will pile up for future generations.
Leaders of the Labour Party and intellectuals from diverse fields also spoke of deepening collaboration between Nigerian parties and the CPC for better understanding of contemporary issues.
Chinas strides in Nigeria has expanded in infrastructure technology which has manifested in projects such as the Abuja- Kaduna railway, Ogun-Guangdon Free Trade Zone, Satellite Launching and joint marine scientific exploration, the Lagos Ibadan Standard Gauge railway among others.
In February, Nigeria celebrated 50 years of bilateral ties with China, but its quite obvious that it has not tapped into the experience of China and has inexplicably failed to invest in human capacity and education of the Nigerian people, which has made the nation to remain stunted in its development strides.
While the Chinese Government this year celebrated lifting over 800 million people out of poverty since the reforms and opening up of the Chinese society kicked off under Deng Xioping in 1978, Nigeria despite its human and material resources has dwindled economically as successive governments have failed to harness the rich resource base of the country.
Consequent upon this more Nigerians have been plunged into poverty. According to the World Poverty Clock and Brookings Institute, nearly 100 million Nigerians of the estimated 200 million population are poor making Nigeria the worlds headquarters of extreme poverty. Nigeria
During the 50 anniversary celebration of the Sino-Nigeria relations in February, Charge D Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, Zhao Yong, in his address, noted that the past 50 years have witnessed an increasingly enhanced strategic partnership with Nigeria based on mutual trust, economic benefits and mutual assistance.
He said Over the past 50 years, the mutually beneficial China- Nigeria economic and trade relations have enjoyed robust development, the scales and areas of cooperation continuously expand, and the modes of cooperation have been diversified.
He added that Nigeria has surpassed Angola and South Africa to become Chinas second largest trading partner and largest export market in Africa.
The Chinese envoy said the trade growth between both countries have continued to grow amid the adverse effect of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.
In 2019, the trade volume between China and Nigeria reached 19.27 billion US dollars, which was 1,900 times that of 1971 when the diplomatic relationship was first established.
However, the balance of trade appears to favour China because the country has flourishing industries that produce diverse range of competitive products, can which dominate the world and African markets. This was made possible by transformative leadership in China.
Nigerian policy makers irrespective of their party or regional aspirations must create and new vision practicable and deliverable. Only then can its relations with China and other countries of the world would begin to make meaning.