It has always been my desire to visit China for three reasons. First, as a practicing Management Consultant of over three decades to find out how China has been able to successfully manage both her diversity and huge population in taming extreme poverty being a developing country in the same economic classification with my country, Nigeria. Second, to experience the Chinese culture and the people who have been willing partners to their government in achieving her rising global socioeconomic profile. Three, to improve on my knowledge of human societies, thereby making China the 104th country visited thus far.
Having secured the required visa in early October 2024 myself and my wife, Dr (Chief) Olubisi Fasuyi who is also a practicing Management Consultant and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of our organization, the 33-year old Supreme Management Training and Consultancy Services Ltd (SMTCS) set out to visit China.
Before embarking on the trip, we made efforts to reach the Nigeria Embassy in Beijing China with a view to securing an appointment with the Consulate but unfortunately the two lines available to us were not reachable.
We arrived in Beijing in the evening of Monday 21st October 2024. On Tuesday 22nd October we placed calls to the Nigeria Embassy in order to book an appointment, yet there was no luck. We repeated the same exercise the following day Wednesday 23rd October, the experience was not better. Consequently, on Thursday, 24th October 2024 we decided to physically visit the Embassy located at No 2, Dong Wu Jie, SAN Li Tun, Beijing, 100600, P.R. China as Nigerians but without a confirmed appointment.
Our experience prompted this write-up. My wife and I arrived at the Embassy gate at 10.39am and successfully passed through the security protocol in the Diplomatic Neighborhood hosting several Countries' Embassies with the assistance of our local driver, Murphy whose command of the indigenous Mandarin Chinese language was flawless.
On getting to the Nigerian Embassy gate, we were politely attended to by both the Military Security Guard and the local Gateman. The Gateman enquired whether we had an appointment and to which we answered 'No'.
But we explained that we were Nigerians from Nigeria wishing to meet with the Embassy officers.
He thereafter placed a call and I spoke to a refined and cultured Consular Officer, Mr Faruna Peters whom we later met with. In the course of our telephone conversation, I disclosed all our futile attempts at reaching the Embassy to book an appointment. After being convinced of our mission in China, he gave us the clearance to come to the reception of the Embassy.
In less than 10 minutes of settling down at the reception, the beginning of our surprise package at the Embassy started when a brilliant, seasoned, urbane, diplomatic technocrat walked in and introduced himself as the Head of Chancery, Mr Chrisanthus Michael. He welcomed us warmly as if the Embassy had been expecting us for months.
He immediately led us upstairs into the waiting room of His Excellency, the Nigerian Ambassador to Beijing China.
Two minutes later, His Excellency, Ambassador Babagana Wakil, an ebullient excellency in character, conduct, and diplomacy, came into the waiting room, warmly and cheerfully welcomed us and personally led us into his Conference Room.
We spent the next 25 minutes exchanging notes about our mission to China and he in return shared with us the impactful services that the Embassy has been rendering to support Nigeria and Nigerians, most especially the strategic improvement in the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China, one of the aftermath of President Bola Tinubu's visit to Beijing China few weeks ago.
While still trying to ponder whether the Nigeria Representatives we met here originated from another clime, as my wife and I were still lost in the euphoria of the home-atmosphere of the reception accorded us, little did we anticipate that another level of impressive and responsive surprise awaits us.
My wife and I took time to present our mission. China has the largest population of about 1.4billion people in the world. Her extreme poverty status was projected by the United Nations to end in the year 2030 but due to a combination of her poverty responsive mechanisms titled *Prosperity Through All-Round Development* this feat has been achieved in 2020, a clear 10 years ahead of projection, thus, making China achieved her First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society and thereby put an end to absolute poverty in the whole of China. Over the proceeding one hundred years, generations of the Chinese people have persevered, progressing step by step from a subsistence standard of living to piecemeal prosperity, then to moderate prosperity throughout the country. In addition, it's no gainsaying today that China is rapidly escaping from the same economic classification with Nigeria of being tagged as a developing country into a developed country in the areas of prolific human resources development; amazing and competitive infrastructure advancement as observed in Beijing, Changzhou, and Shanghai; and rapid, diligent, and ingenious technology promotion. In many quarters, Nigeria's population at less than 220 million people or less than 15% of China's population has been ascribed as the bane of our development challenge but there we have a a much bigger and larger population in China and that is steadily progressing. On 1st July, 2021 the People's Republic of China launched and declared the commencement of the Second Centenary Goal which focuses on building a great, modern, superpower country, and attainment of *Prosperity For All* goal in China.
The questions then are what are those policy interventions that have been employed in successfully managing China's humongous population and her poverty challenge over the century that Nigeria policy makers at the three tiers of government could also leverage upon was our primary mission of coming to China?
To say that my wife and I marvelled at the level of information responsiveness and knowledge displayed by both our Ambassador and Head of Chancery on the statistics of development happening in China would surely amount to an understatement. If we had secured an appointment ahead of our arrival we would have most likely concluded that the duo prepared ahead for our meeting which in itself would have been good.
But our respect for these worthy Representatives of Nigeria in Beijing China is borne out of the fact that they know their onions and are actually contributing professional value addition to both the image and socioeconomic mission of our dear country Nigeria through their mission in China.
The level of preparedness of Nigeria's Representatives in Beijing China is worthy of emulation by the remaining 106 Nigeria Embassies and High Commissions across the globe towards contributing to the attainment of the HOPE Agenda of President Bola Tinubu's Administration.
Finally, there was an icing on the cake! As we made efforts to exit the Embassy, we were offered to be dropped in our hotel by the Embassy vehicle but we came in our rented vehicle but the appreciation of the courtesy was not lost us.
Furthermore, they offered to give us a treat by the weekend of Saturday 26th October 2024 but my wife innocently revealed that we shall be traveling out of Beijing that same Saturday and that the following day, Friday 25th October will be quietly spent in the hotel to mark my 69th birthday. The Embassy took note of our hotel details only to lavish us with Ijesa's favorite staple Pounded yam, Efo riro, fresh fish, etc on my 69th birthday on Friday 25th October 2024.
Certainly, this memory shall remain eternal!
Please join us in celebrating the worthy representatives of Nigeria in Beijing China for excellent representation!
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| From Left:Yeye Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Yeye Asiwaju Dr Olubisi Fasuyi; the Asiwaju Of Ijesaland, Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi; Nigeria Charge d'Affaires Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in China, Ambassador Babagana Wakil, and Nigeria's Embassy Head of Chancery, Mr Chrisanthus Michael at the meeting held with the Asiwaju & Yeye Asiwaju Fasuyi at the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing China on Thursday 24th October 2024. |
Asiwaju Olayinka Fasuyi and Yeye Asiwaju Dr Olubisi Fasuyi.
The Asiwaju & Yeye Asiwaju of Ijesaland.
Chief Consultant & Chief Operating Officer,
Supreme Management Consultants.
31st October, 2024.
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