Speaking at the China Insights and Experience-Sharing Forum for Outstanding Participants of China Seminars, held at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Abuja on Thursday, Ike said Nigeria could translate its abundant human and natural resources into tangible benefits through reliable electricity, skills development, innovation and purposeful planning.
She said China’s development experience offered valuable lessons for Nigeria, stressing that the country should adapt relevant practices to its own realities rather than adopt them wholesale.
Lessons from China
Ike said the training programme in Shenyang and Beijing exposed Nigerian participants to China’s approaches to energy security, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, robotics and industrial development.
She noted that visits to educational institutions and power facilities demonstrated how research, innovation and technical expertise could drive economic growth and improve citizens’ quality of life.
According to her, sustainable development cannot depend on natural resources alone but requires investment in human capacity, technological innovation, knowledge and long-term planning.
“Future economic development does not have to rely on proportionally increasing fossil-fuel consumption,” she said, highlighting China’s efforts to build a more secure, efficient, low-carbon and sustainable energy system through energy efficiency, industrial restructuring and clean-energy development.
The NUJ FCT chairman emphasised that journalists have a responsibility to explain emerging technologies, encourage informed public debate and demonstrate how government policies affect ordinary Nigerians.
She added that the media must sustain its watchdog role by promoting accountability and ensuring that development initiatives deliver measurable benefits to citizens.
Ike also called for international cooperation that extends beyond trade and technology to include cultural exchange, professional collaboration and people-to-people relationships.
She advocated stronger partnerships between Nigerian and Chinese media professionals through training, knowledge-sharing initiatives and exchange programmes.
Her remarks reflect the NUJ FCT Council’s engagement in Nigeria-China cultural cooperation, including the Ni Hao! China radio initiative, which promotes Chinese language learning, cultural understanding and constructive international engagement.
While commending the Chinese Cultural Centre, programme organisers and Chinese hosts for providing the learning platform, Ike stressed that the programme’s success would ultimately depend on how participants applied the knowledge gained.
“We must ensure that the knowledge we acquired does not end with the seminar,” she said. “We must share it with our colleagues, apply relevant lessons in our professional and national contexts, and sustain the relationships established during our time in China.”
She expressed optimism about deeper Nigeria-China collaboration in 2027, particularly in media cooperation, knowledge exchange and cultural understanding.
Ike concluded her address with the words: “Thank you.
