No less than 250 ex-militants have departed Nigeria for Malaysia to acquire skills in various fields, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Amb. Nik Mustafa Nik-Ahmad, the Malaysian High Commissioner to Nigeria, disclosed this in an interview with the NAN on Wednesday in Abuja.
Nik-Ahmad said the amnesty beneficiaries would be trained in various vocations such as under-water welding and crane operation, among others.
NAN recalls that since the amnesty deal came into effect in August 2009, many ex-militants have benefited from vocational training in marine education, wood works and electrical repairs.
Nik-Ahmad, who stressed the importance of the training, said the beneficiaries would be able to contribute to the development of the Niger Delta region.
NAN reports that 16 people are also billed to undergo capacity building training in Islamic interest free banking in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, under a collaboration programme between the embassy and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Nik-Ahmad said that both nations were also sharing experience in economic planning, law enforcement, customs and immigration.
“All these and more are geared toward strengthening our bilateral relations,’’ the envoy, who described Malaysia and Nigeria’s relations as “very excellent’’, said.
Nigeria established diplomatic relations with Malaysia in 1965. (NAN)
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