Tinubu’s Reforms Opening New Opportunities, Says UK

The United Kingdom has commended the economic and trade reforms of the Bola Tinubu administration as bold and positive steps towards repositioning Nigeria’s economy.

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, gave the commendation on Monday during a visit to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the State House, Abuja.

According to Busola Kukoyi, the first lady’s media aide, Montgomery said the UK government recognises new opportunities emerging from the reforms being undertaken in Nigeria and noted that they have opened avenues for enhanced trade partnership between both nations.

Montgomery also lauded the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), describing it as an effective platform for women’s empowerment in education, health, and humanitarian services.

The envoy further expressed interest in Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional amendment process and the proposal for special seats for women in the National Assembly.

“…the UK has an enhanced trade and investment partnership with Nigeria we are watching with great interest the new opportunities being created by the reforms of his excellency, the present federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, your husband, and as I hope you have seen the UK has been very public supporters of these very brave bold and difficult reforms we understand that these reforms create short-term challenges but we see lots of positivity now in the economy and our British business colleagues are looking at those opportunities.

“We have a very strong focus also on women’s economic empowerment both in the formal setter such as banking and financial technologies.

“You are a leading Nigerian politician by background and we have come partly to seek your views of the constitutional review process in Nigeria which we know you will be following closely. I and my colleagues and, particularly my Deputy High Commissioner, have been liaising with members of the National Assembly about some of those constitutional review debates and in particular issues such as the Special Seats Bill and the reality that Nigeria’s opportunities for women to participate in formal politics have not been as positive as we had hoped in recent years.

“I was posted in Nigeria in 2013 the National Assembly had more women members both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate and we would be interested in your views on that debate, madam, going forward. I have laid out a number of issues that we would welcome some opportunities to discuss more and get your advice and your insight,” he added.

Responding, Senator Tinubu assured the delegation that her office and the RHI would continue to address the challenges faced by Nigerians, especially women in the informal sector.

“I believe we can help each other, if we really show concern”. RHI focuses also on women empowerment in the informal sector. These are the ones we are touching their lives directly,” she said.

Mrs Tinubu agreed with her guests that the number of women in the National Assembly is dwindling and promised to join the ongoing process to improve the numbers.

“We have to really know the right people to represent us, who can really do the work and that is what we have to enlighten our women about”.

The delegation also included the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Lever.

Tinubu’s Reforms Opening New Opportunities, Says UK is first published on The Whistler Newspaper