The Canadian Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Jean Gauthier, has emphasised the important role of education in an economy, saying Nigeria’s quest for a placement among the leading world 20 economies cannot be separated from more knowledge acquisition.

Gauthier, who commended Nigeria for its rising profile as a knowledge-based economy, said that no country could afford to stand alone without interfacing with others in different areas at various levels.

The envoy, during a press conference to herald the seventh Canadian Education Fair, allayed the fears of intending Nigerian students, assuring legitimate visitors of unrestricted access during their visits to Canada.

He said, “The importance of education is something we cannot underestimate, especially if the country has to attain the Vision 2020 target and secure its deserved position in world economic ranking.

“All countries are involved in providing foreign education, and just as we have a lot of Nigerians studying abroad, there are also Canadians studying in Nigeria, especially at the Master’s level, and other areas where research activities are on-going.

“No country can remain in isolation; if you stay in a place, you remain same but if you open up, the more ideas you get, and as a country, we always get tremendous returns through the Commonwealth of Nations and other bilateral arrangements that we are engaged in.”

Gauthier praised Nigeria for its cultural diversity, saying Canada shared same with the country, as it was home to English and French speaking people, aside other ethnic nationalities.

He said, “Nigeria has the most vibrant Diaspora population, and though at times it creates problems for us in identifying how many Nigerians are studying in Canada, it is not peculiar in any case.”

The diplomat assured Nigerians of non-discrimination, saying it was unfortunate that such an issue came up in the first place.

He said, “It is quite unfortunate but there is no discrimination. We don’t look at where you are coming from before granting you a visa. The same treatment is accorded everyone, and if you meet the requirements you get it, whether you are American, French, British, Nigerian or Saudi Arabian, or from any other nationality. We treat everybody equally.”

The Trade Commissioner Assistant, Mrs. Modupe Olaniyonu, while reacting to a question on the proprietary of holding an education fair in Nigeria, said the event was not targeted at Nigerians alone but constituted part of an annual event to different geo-political zones of Africa and other parts of the world.

She said, “The education tour to Nigeria is part of the African-Anglophone tour, and Nigeria is the first.

“There is also the African-Francophone tour, which Canadian institutions attend, it is done in Europe and Asia too.”

Gauthier added, “In some countries there won’t be a fair because some of their universities already have partnership with Canadian institutions but until we get to that stage, here in Nigeria, the fair is necessary.”