NEW YORK, 27 September 2026
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, has met the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Maria Theresa P Lazaro, on the sidelines of the eighty first session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The talks were aimed at strengthening the long standing relationship between the two countries. Both ministers agreed that trade should be scaled up and that work should move ahead on the forthcoming Nigeria Philippines Joint Commission.
Education was singled out as one of the strongest pillars of people to people links. Mrs Odumegwu Ojukwu noted that the Philippines has long been a popular destination for higher education among Nigerian students. About nine thousand Nigerians are now enrolled in higher learning institutions across the Philippines.
The two sides also reviewed regulatory frameworks intended to protect the welfare of Nigerian migrant workers, manage labour mobility and combat human trafficking.
Manila is working to open a dedicated Migrant Workers Office in Abuja to support the thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers living and working in Nigeria.
Diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Philippines date back to 1962. Officials in both capitals have in recent months pointed to the next session of their Joint Commission as the forum at which trade, education, labour and consular questions can be turned into firmer arrangements.
Mrs Odumegwu Ojukwu, who became Nigeria’s foreign minister in April, has used the high level week in New York for a series of bilateral meetings. Ms Lazaro, a career diplomat who took office as the Philippines’ top diplomat in 2025, has likewise used the assembly to press economic and labour partnerships beyond South East Asia.
The meeting underlines a shared interest in pairing commercial ambition with the protection of students and workers who already move in large numbers between the two countries.
By John James
