As Russia’s war in Ukraine intensifies, a delegation of senior leaders from across Ukrainian civil society is set to visit Nigeria.
The visist is expected to involve series of high-level meetings with policymakers, senior government officials, representatives from the business community and the civil society.
A statement issued in Abuja by Dr Cliff Ogbede, the president of Club of Doctors of Ukrainian Lviv University of Business and Law and coordinator of Nigeria-Ukraine Business Forum in Nigeria stated that the delegation proposes to discuss the realities of the current situation in Ukraine, its impact on Nigeria, and to explore opportunities for closer association between the two countries.
According to Ogbede, the Ukrainian delegates are all supporters of the Kyiv declaration , Ukrainian civil society’s joint call to the international community to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia which has been signed by over 100 civil society leaders and endorsed by international figures including former heads of state and international leaders.
The delegates are specialists in history and politics; economics; human rights; and security and disinformation.
Their expertise will allow the delegation to engage on a wide range of issues of mutual interest to Nigeria and Ukraine and to explain how the situation on the ground is affecting both the whole population and countries all over the world.
Since Russia launched its bloody invasion of Ukraine in February, innocent civilians have been massacred with many properties distroyed
The Russia’s actions have also plunged the world into an economic crisis and choked off global supplies of food and fertilizer, putting millions of people at risk of starvation.
Ogbede mentioned the importance of such senior and respected civil society engagement between the two countries, considering the deliberate blockading of Ukrainian ports and the shelling of Ukrainian farmlands which have choked off grain exports to the world.
He stated that without these vital supplies, the cost of food will continue to increase rapidly in Nigeria which is already pushing the poorest in our country into starvation.
The delegation will be holding a series of meetings in Abuja and Lagos, before visiting Ghana next and overall, Ukrainian delegations are due to travel to countries all over the world to raise support for their struggle against Russia’s neo-imperialist invasion.
