The Nigerian government is collaborating with the UK in the area of security and intelligence gathering to curb the insecurity in the North-east region of the country.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama made this known when he received the UK Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office FCDO, Mr. James Duddridge, in Abuja, Nigeria.
Onyeama said that the enemy in the North-east is not readily identifiable, however, there is an intelligence fusion unit made up of the UK, France, the US, and other countries sharing ideas on ways to curb the security issues in the north-east region.
He said that the Nigerian government is dedicated to curbing humanitarian and economic challenges facing the country and has an economic growth plan to tackle unemployment.
“The government is determined in tacking all these issues. Interestingly, the economy is showing signs of improving. Over the last few months, the figures have been better than even the international financial institutions had anticipated”, he said.
Strong partnership
Duddridge said that the UK will continue to be a strong partner to Nigeria in the fight against terrorism, humanitarian aid and other issues bothering Nigeria.
He noted that although the UK was assisting Nigeria in the area of intelligence gathering, the problems facing Nigeria are complex and cannot be tackled in a day.
“The situation is massively complex and no partnership is going to resolve the multiplicity of problems whether it is Boko Haram or a number of other issues.
“So it’s not just about intelligence and hard security and military, it’s about building societies, it’s about humanitarian support, it’s about developing, it’s about building partnerships. But it is a process; it is not an end game”, he said.
Trade and Girl-education
Duddridge also said that Britain was keen on fostering trade and girls’ education in Nigeria.
“We are promising twelve years of quality girls’ education, so we are doing a commercial leg of our trip to Lagos. It is part of building back better post Covid but also visiting schools, which we know that the education system is very strong here in Nigeria”, he added.
He commended the Nigerian government for the rigorous Covid-19 vaccination going on in the country, noting that no one is protected unless everyone is protected.
Nneka Ukachukwu
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