by Paul Osas
The Pakistani President, Mamnoon Hussain has postponed a planned visit to Nigeria following pressing concerns in the nation, the Deputy High commissioner, Ahmed Sirohey has said.
Pres. Hussain was billed to begin a three-day working visit to Abuja on Monday.
Sirohey confirming the postponement said, “due to pressing concerns in Pakistan, the visit of the president to Nigeria has been postponed; we shall use our diplomatic channel to agree on a new date.’’
Also, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dauda Danladi said the government has been briefed by the Pakistani authorities.
The trip would have seen Pres. Hussain arrive Nigeria with 70 government officials and textile tycoons on the invitation of President Goodluck Jonathan. Sirohey, said the trip – the first in 32 years – would have enabled both countries to explore cooperation in petroleum resources, energy and domestic gas.
“We have huge pipe-to-gas across the country and there are about eight million customers served by our Natural Gas Company and they are provided gas in their houses,” he had told journalists ahead of the planned Monday visit. “Bills are sent to customers at the end of the month and the bill for a house of six people is not more than N300 per month. If it is a big house like you have in Maitama district in Abuja it is not more than N1500.” he noted.
Meanwhile, Premium Times is reporting that senior officials of the Pakistani embassy in Nigeria said the decision was taken in direct response to Nigeria’s increasing security troubles that have seen more than 100 people killed since Monday, and 129 school girls abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants.
