President Muhammadu Buhari has said that though his fellow
politicians are currently preoccupied with the forthcoming general
elections in 2019, he is more bothered about the need to provide
security and revamp the economy.
According to the Special Adviser to the President (Media and
Publicity), Femi Adesina, this was part of the discussions Buhari
had with the British Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May, during their
meeting in London on Monday.
Adesina made this known via his Facebook wall on Monday.
See the full text:
The three-pronged focus of the current administration resonated
through the conversation, as President Muhammadu Buhari held a
bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister, Theresa May, on
Monday at 10, Downing Street, London.
“We campaigned on three major issues: to secure the country,
revive the economy and fight corruption,” said the President. “We
have elections next year, politicians are already preoccupied with
the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,”
he stressed.
Recalling that Nigeria and Britain have a long history of
cooperation on several fronts, President Buhari stated: “People
ought to know how they arrived where they are, if they would move
forward. It was a mistake for us to have stopped the teaching of
history as a subject in schools, but we are returning it to the
curriculum now.”
He commended British companies like Unilever, Cadbury, and many
others, “who have stood with Nigeria through thick and thin. Even
when we fought a Civil War, they never left.
“But like Oliver Twist, we ask for more investments. We are
encouraging more British companies to come to Nigeria. We
appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our
military, particularly in the war against insurgency, but we want
to also continue to work with you on trade and investment.”
President Buhari briefed Prime Minister May on the strides in
agriculture, which he said has put Nigeria firmly on the road to
food self-sufficiency.
“I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture,” he said,
adding: “We have cut rice importation by about 90%, made lots of
savings of foreign exchange, and generated employment. People had
rushed to the cities to get oil money, at the expense of farming.
But luckily, they are now going back to the farms. Even
professionals are going back to the land. We are making steady
progress on the road to food security.”
On education, President Buhari said more investment was being
made, because “people can look after themselves if well educated.
In this age of technology, education is very important. We need
well-staffed and well-equipped institutions to move into the next
generation.”
Climate change and environmental issues also came up for
discussion, and President Buhari brought up the necessity of
inter-basin water transfer from Congo Basin to Lake Chad.
According to him: “The Lake Chad is now about 10% of its
original size, and it is perhaps one of the reasons our youths dare
both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean, to get to Europe. But
if there is inter-basin water transfer, about 40 million people in
Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and other countries stand to
benefit. I made the case during the Climate Change Summit in
France. If Lake Chad is recharged, it will reduce the number of
youths coming to Europe to increase social problems. We brought
back about 4,000 people from Libya recently. Almost all of them
were below 30, and Libya was not their final destination. They were
headed to Europe.”
Prime Minister May, in her remarks, said Britain would continue
to work with Nigeria in the areas of training and equipping the
military.
She was particular about abduction of young schoolgirls by Boko
Haram, noting that Britain would continue to give Nigeria needed
assistance.
The Prime Minister said the Buhari administration has “been
making good progress on the economy,” and urged it to maintain the
focus, despite approaching elections, and increase in political
activities.
On education and climate change, she declared: “Good grounding
in education is good. It is important to equip young people for
today’s world. It is also a good bastion and defence against modern
slavery. The issue of the environment and climate change is very
important, because of its impact on many countries in the
Commonwealth. Stability at home is important, to curb illegal
migration.”
Prime Minister May, who commended President Buhari for the much
he has been doing on improving trade and business for Nigeria,
noted that it was also time to boost intra-Commonwealth trade.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that though his fellow
politicians are currently preoccupied with the forthcoming general
elections in 2019, he is more bothered about the need to provide
security and revamp the economy.
According to the Special Adviser to the President (Media and
Publicity), Femi Adesina, this was part of the discussions Buhari
had with the British Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May, during their
meeting in London on Monday.
Adesina made this known via his Facebook wall on Monday.
See the full text:
The three-pronged focus of the current administration resonated
through the conversation, as President Muhammadu Buhari held a
bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister, Theresa May, on
Monday at 10, Downing Street, London.
“We campaigned on three major issues: to secure the country,
revive the economy and fight corruption,” said the President. “We
have elections next year, politicians are already preoccupied with
the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,”
he stressed.
Recalling that Nigeria and Britain have a long history of
cooperation on several fronts, President Buhari stated: “People
ought to know how they arrived where they are, if they would move
forward. It was a mistake for us to have stopped the teaching of
history as a subject in schools, but we are returning it to the
curriculum now.”
He commended British companies like Unilever, Cadbury, and many
others, “who have stood with Nigeria through thick and thin. Even
when we fought a Civil War, they never left.
“But like Oliver Twist, we ask for more investments. We are
encouraging more British companies to come to Nigeria. We
appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our
military, particularly in the war against insurgency, but we want
to also continue to work with you on trade and investment.”
President Buhari briefed Prime Minister May on the strides in
agriculture, which he said has put Nigeria firmly on the road to
food self-sufficiency.
“I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture,” he said,
adding: “We have cut rice importation by about 90%, made lots of
savings of foreign exchange, and generated employment. People had
rushed to the cities to get oil money, at the expense of farming.
But luckily, they are now going back to the farms. Even
professionals are going back to the land. We are making steady
progress on the road to food security.”
On education, President Buhari said more investment was being
made, because “people can look after themselves if well educated.
In this age of technology, education is very important. We need
well-staffed and well-equipped institutions to move into the next
generation.”
Climate change and environmental issues also came up for
discussion, and President Buhari brought up the necessity of
inter-basin water transfer from Congo Basin to Lake Chad.
According to him: “The Lake Chad is now about 10% of its
original size, and it is perhaps one of the reasons our youths dare
both the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean, to get to Europe. But
if there is inter-basin water transfer, about 40 million people in
Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and other countries stand to
benefit. I made the case during the Climate Change Summit in
France. If Lake Chad is recharged, it will reduce the number of
youths coming to Europe to increase social problems. We brought
back about 4,000 people from Libya recently. Almost all of them
were below 30, and Libya was not their final destination. They were
headed to Europe.”
Prime Minister May, in her remarks, said Britain would continue
to work with Nigeria in the areas of training and equipping the
military.
She was particular about abduction of young schoolgirls by Boko
Haram, noting that Britain would continue to give Nigeria needed
assistance.
The Prime Minister said the Buhari administration has “been
making good progress on the economy,” and urged it to maintain the
focus, despite approaching elections, and increase in political
activities.
On education and climate change, she declared: “Good grounding
in education is good. It is important to equip young people for
today’s world. It is also a good bastion and defence against modern
slavery. The issue of the environment and climate change is very
important, because of its impact on many countries in the
Commonwealth. Stability at home is important, to curb illegal
migration.”
Prime Minister May, who commended President Buhari for the much
he has been doing on improving trade and business for Nigeria,
noted that it was also time to boost intra-Commonwealth trade.