North-East development: UK minister to visit Nigeria, meet Osinbajo.

United Kingdom’s Minister for the Department for International Development, Mr. James Wharton, has said the UK is determined to work with Nigeria to address challenges facing the country.

Wharton said this ahead of his three-day visit to Nigeria, during which he will meet Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, among others.

“The UK is committed to furthering its relationship with Nigeria and, as we move to seize the opportunities presented by leaving the European Union, we are all the more determined to work together on tackling big challenges facing the country – which is both in Nigeria and the UK’s interests,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by the British High Commission.

“Nigeria’s success truly matters to the UK and to Africa as a whole. As an outward-looking, globally engaged nation, I want to deepen the broad range of support and assistance the UK provides Nigeria, including in health, education and economic reform.”

Wharton will also discuss the security and humanitarian challenges in the North East, and observe the ways in which UK aid is being distributed in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross to transform lives of some of the most vulnerable people.

“It is a tragedy that the conflict in North East Nigeria has left millions of people in urgent need of shelter, protection, food and emergency health care,” he said.

The minister, who oversees all development assistance in Africa, will also assess human development projects in the country and visit the Bridge Academy School in Lagos as well as the Mile 12 Market to meet with retail and wholesale traders.

He will also meet business leaders in the country as part of steps to promote trade between Nigeria and the UK.


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