Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed his administration’s willingness to deepen bilateral ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to drive growth and development.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said this on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, during a courtesy visit by the Consul-General of UAE, Salem Aljaberi.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, expressed willingness to partner with the UAE for mutual benefits and to strengthen the relationship.

According to him, the state government is willing to work with the office of the consul general to ensure that it strengthens ties in key areas of mutual benefit.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the state was willing to work with the UAE to increase business relationships and seamless operations.

 The governor recalled that the consul general’s predecessor had a good relationship with the Lagos government.

He said that collaboration between the state and UAE would increase the goals of the state government in terms of innovation and development.

Earlier, Mr Aljaberi said that the UAE and Nigeria had consistently pursued meaningful partnerships, while Nigerians, especially Lagosians, were considered as brothers.

According to him, the trade relationship between the UAE and Nigeria is based on respect and brotherhood.

He said, “We share the same values and the same culture. In the coming years, we need to be the number one partner with Nigeria.’’

Mr Aljaberi noted that since the establishment of bilateral relations with Nigeria in 1982, both countries had worked diligently to build a mutually beneficial relationship.

He said the non-oil trade between the UAE and Nigeria had grown by 60 per cent, reaching $4.3 billion in 2024.

He stated, “Some people may say this is a good number, but I believe this is not a good number. We need to work very hard to double this number in the coming years. This is my target here in Lagos.’’

(NAN)