Last year, the UK government paid over £300 million on programs and peacekeeping to improve stability and security in African nations, benefiting both Africans and UK citizens.
Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State in the UK Cabinet Office, is in Nigeria to cement the UK-Nigeria partnership, according to a statement issued by Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Abuja.
The visit comes just days after the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership meetings, which resulted in agreements on cybersecurity, defence collaboration, counter-terrorism, human rights, and civil-military cooperation.
The UK invested over £15 million on Nigeria’s security, resulting in the detection and seizure of almost 3 tonnes of illegal drugs, benefiting both Nigerians and British nationals.
UK money has assisted over 500 refugees in North Eastern Nigeria in resettling into communities after leaving armed groups. It aided vocational training, religious counseling, psychosocial help, addiction counseling, and numeracy and literacy classes.
The UK and Nigeria collaborated on regional challenges to security, with the UK contributing to UN attempts to stabilise communities in the Lake Chad Basin following a decade of extremist violence.
Almost 11 million people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger have been affected by the violence.
According to Neville-Rolfe, the United Kingdom and Nigeria are strong economic and security partners. I am happy that the CSSF has allowed the UK to play such an important role in strengthening Nigeria’s security.
“Investment in Nigeria and the region has helped address challenges such as drug smuggling, cybercrime, and displacement.” These challenges are transnational, therefore by assisting our colleagues in Nigeria and West Africa, we are also helping to protect people in the United Kingdom.
The UK and Nigeria have agreed to strengthen coordination to combat cybercrime and promote a free, open, peaceful, and secure online.
“As Africa’s greatest economy, Nigeria’s stability and security are critical to the security of the entire region and the United Kingdom. I look forward to expanding our cooperation as we continue to collaborate on common concerns in the coming years.”
Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, stated that the UK will continue to support the Nigerian government in addressing internal and regional security concerns.
“The UK’s Conflict, Security, and Stability Fund provides practical assistance that is making a significant difference in Nigeria, from combating human traffickers to assisting with the relocation of people escaping armed groups in the country’s northeast. The United Kingdom is happy to be a close partner to Nigeria in these initiatives.”
