Russia to Build Nuclear Centre in Nigeria

Russia and Nigeria signed a cooperation agreement on construction of a centre for nuclear science in the African country, RIA Novosti, Russian news agency reported from the signing ceremony on Monday.

The intergovernmental agreement was signed at the Atomexpo-2016 forum in Moscow by Sergey Kirienko, the general director of Russia's state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, and Franklin Osaisai, chairman of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission.

"Today we signed the cooperation agreement on construction of the centre, which will include a 10-megawatt water-cooled research reactor," Kirienko said after the ceremony.

According to Kirienko, the necessary legal framework has been created for this project.

Elsewhere, Nikolay Udovichenko, Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, at the weekend affirmed the move when he said that the two governments have been negotiating for the centre’s establishment.

Though detail of the deal is still sketchy, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that the nuclear plant will be operational in 2025.

Rosatom will reportedly hold a majority stake in Nigeria's nuclear facilities while the rest will be owned by the state, with roles to be defined in contractual agreements.

The plants will be financed by the vendor, which will then build, own, operate and transfer them to Nigeria.

Also the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, stated in Lagos at this year’s Alumni Congress of the Soyuznik Alumni Association in Nigeria, said that the Nigerian and Russian governments had been negotiating for the centre’s establishment.

The theme of the congress was “Harnessing The Potentials of the Nigerian Graduates of Higher Institutions of former USSR States”.

“Bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and Russia is blessed with huge potential in every avenue.

“Nuclear energy development is another area with good prospects for our two countries’ cooperation.

“This June, we expect to sign a bilateral agreement for the establishment of a multifunctional scientific centre in Nigeria,” he said.

The Envoy also said that his government was working at reactivating its Trade Representation in Nigeria, to further promote trade and economic relations between the two countries.

Udovichenko, who said that thousands of Nigerians had over the years benefited from quality education in Russia, also announced his government’s plan to sustain the scholarship programme for more Nigerians.

The Envoy said that it was imperative for such Nigerians to use their knowledge for the development of their country, as well as strengthening ties with the Russians.

President of Soyuznik and Chairman of the ceremony, Otunba Henry Ajomale, said that the association was made up of academicians, medical doctors, engineers, diplomats, political administrators and heads of professional organizations trained by the Russian government.

Ajomale expressed the gratitude of the beneficiaries to the countries that formed the former Soviet Union for bequeathing a lasting legacy, with which they could contribute to the development of Nigeria.

“We should not forget to celebrate our common heritage as beneficiaries of a unique programme by the former Soviet Government that gave us the opportunity to become what we are today,” he said.

The Soyunik Alumni Association of Nigeria, is the association of Nigerian graduates trained by the the Former Soviet Union and Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS).