By Adedapo Adessanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has expressed its desire to extend trade dealings between Nigeria and the Republic of Turkey.
The corporation said the main reason for the improved trade relation was to foster cooperation between its Turkish counterpart in infrastructural development and other areas of common interest to both nations.
The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, made this disclosure while receiving the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Melih Uluren, during a courtesy visit to the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
“We are looking forward to greater cooperation between NNPC and Turkish Petroleum industry such that we find a business in other areas like infrastructural development that both countries will be interested in promoting to the benefit of both countries,” he said.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, Kyari, said in a statement that the Turkish national oil company has trade relations with NNPC and the corporations wants to build on it.
The Turkish Ambassador, who came to felicitate with the NNPC GMD on his recent appointment, said his country was eager to deepen economic ties with Nigeria.
Turkey is the 8th biggest export market for Nigeria and according to the recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) for the period of Q1 2019, Turkey accounted for 3.96 percent of Nigeria’s total export and a stronger trade relation between the two nations may further create room for more export revenue for Nigeria’s economy.
Dipo Olowookere