Anyone in doubt why Africa matters to Britain should take a look at Nigeria, British Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said.
The Prime Minister, who spoke at a press briefing at the State House, Marina, Lagos, after a bilateral talk with Nigeria's President, Goodluck Jonathan, also pledged the support of the British government in Nigeria's anti-corruption effort.
The talks involved key ministers from both sides and the business community. On the Nigerian side were the Ministers of Trade and Investments, Olusegun Aganga; Foreign Affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru; Communications Technology, Omobolaji Johnson; Information, Labaran Maku; Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu; National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman; Power, Barth Nnaji; and the National Security Adviser, Owoye Azazi. Also present were businessmen Oba Otudeko, Femi Otedola, and Wale Babalakin.
Mr Cameron described Nigeria as a country with massive potentials and huge challenges that has to be tackled.
"Anyone in doubt why Africa matters to Britain should just look at Nigeria. A country with massive potentials growing by 8 per cent a year and said to be the largest in Africa. The economy of Lagos alone is the size of 32 African countries added together. A country with security issues, terrorism, crime, illegal immigration. And a country which includes a tenth of the world children out of school, a tenth of women dying in child birth, Nigeria presents a development challenge that must be met if we are ever to meet the Millennium Development Goals," Mr Cameron said.
He said the talks held with Mr Jonathan was to open a new era between the two countries, adding that trade between both countries, security, and the millennium development goals, were discussed during the talks.
"We now open a new era between Britain and Nigeria, and it is very good to make such progress today," he said.
"First on trade, we agreed to double trade between our two countries by 2014 to £8 billion. We agreed to double Nigeria's power supply by 2015 to address one of the biggest obstacles to Nigeria's growth. I welcome the President's leadership role to liberalise trade in West Africa. On my part, I agreed we will support this ultimate goal of free trade," Mr Cameron further said.
Speaking on the security threat to the state, he said both countries have agreed on "a significant new partnership on counter-terrorism".
"I am very pleased that the Nigeria Parliament has reintroduced a law on the exchange of foreign national prisoners. The 650 Nigerians in British jails have cost many pounds a year and I agreed on President Jonathan's efforts to resolve this problem and I am very grateful for your help," he said.
He also said the British government will support Nigeria to get 800,000 children into schools, including 600,000 girls, and four million women and children access to good health care to stop the current maternal mortality.
Partnership against crime
Mr Jonathan, also speaking at the press briefing, said both countries would now join hands to fight terrorism and the theft of Nigeria's crude oil.
"We are going to work together to make sure that this terrorist attacks we are having and other related issues are dealt with," he said.
"A number of areas that we have discussed that the government of the United Kingdom will be quite helpful to us is even in stealing of our crude oil. Those of us who are Nigerians know that the greatest problem we have in the Niger Delta is not just youth agitating for better things for their communities. But those who steal crude oil, though they described it as bunkering, make the area ungovernable. They use money from those illicit business, just like the drug cartel all over the world, to buy arms and ammunitions and give it to non-state actors to protect that illegal trade. These are the areas we discussed," he said.
Mr Jonathan said the British government has a programme for a specialised resource work with the NNPC to finger print the Nigerian crude so that wherever it is sold, government will be able to link up to those refineries that are refining.
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