Nigerian High Commissioner Mohammed Bello Abioye stressed the need for establishing strong trade ties between the businessmen of Nigeria and Sialkot as time had come that both countries should take advantage of bilateral trade. He stated this while discussing in detail the matters of mutual interest with Sialkot exporters during a meeting held at Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Monday. Acting President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Khurrum Aslam Butt, SCCI Vice President (VP) Ansar Aziz Puri and business community were also present on the occasion. The Nigerian High Commissioner said that Pakistan was a reliable trade partner, due to which, Nigeria was considering increasing mutual trade volume between the both countries. He assured the Sialkot exporters’ easy access to international trade markets of Nigeria, asking the Sialkot exporters to also divert their business activities to Nigeria. Bello Abioye said that Sialkot exporters must focus on diverting their business activities to Nigeria to take the complete trade and export-related benefits in Nigeria, saying that it was high time to develop Business-to-Business contacts between Pakistan and Nigeria. He said that both the countries should exchange, particularly of a list of sector specific businessmen. “Nigeria and Pakistan share a lot of commonalities”, he added. On the occasion, SCCI Acting President Khurrum Aslam Butt said that development in mutual trade ties between Pakistan and Nigeria was the need of the hour. He said the volume of trade between two countries was only limited to around USD 793 million as per sources like Ministry of Commerce Pakistan and trade map. Khurrum Aslam said that Nigeria should also focus on the direct trade of Sialkot made surgical instruments and sports goods instead of purchasing these products from European countries with high prices.