The Russia Ambassador to Nigeria, Nikola Udovichenko, has said that development of nuclear technology could boost the nation’s infrastructural development to a considerable level.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on the bilateral relations between the two countries, Udovichenko expressed confidence that nuclear technology would bolster the position of Nigeria as one the emerging and leading economies.
He said: “We are confident that the development of these nuclear technologies would strengthen Nigeria’s position as one of the leading economies of the African continent.
“We understand that the project is of a large scale and of strategic importance. It would bring about thousands of new jobs and it would have some synergy with outer space development.
He added that it would help in the development of infrastructure, new levels of education, new skills and generation of specialists that would invigorate the economy to move faster.
According to him, Nigeria and Russia’s partnership on development of nuclear technologies started in 2009, when the two countries reached an agreement on co-operation and establishment of the technology in Nigeria.
“This year we signed an inter-governmental agreement on design, construction, operation and the commissioning of a research centre, housing a multi-purpose nuclear research reactor.
“Also in October, we signed another agreement to realise the general inter-governmental agreement to implement our plans to construct nuclear power plant and nuclear research centre,” he stated.
It will be recalled that Nigeria and Russia, in 2016, signed an agreement for the construction of a multi-functional nuclear centre in Nigeria.
