Atiku Woos Theresa May, Sells Agenda To Britain

By Solomon Fowowe

The People’s Democratic
Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has taken his campaign to
Britain, presenting his ideas while faulting the tenure of Nigeria’s
incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari.

Atiku, who will contest the
February elections against Buhari and over 50 candidates, wrote in UK’s
Daily Express an article titled “Beyond Brexit – Nigeria wants a new
trade deal with Britain”.

Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May,
visited Nigeria in August 2018 to discuss trade deals and economic
partnerships and to sign defence and security partnerships. She also
pledged to assist in bolstering the rule of law and in the fight against
organized crime.

However, Atiku stated in the article that while
the trade deals and partnerships are welcome and necessary, Buhari’s
government cannot deliver on the deals. The former vice-president
pitched that a change was necessary if Africa’s most populous country is
to progress, hence, deliver on the deal.

“Unfortunately for Mrs
May, the government that she met with led by President Muhammad Buhari
­cannot deliver any of this. For Nigeria to move forward, a change is
required.”

With the possibility of the United Kingdom leaving the
European Union, May sought to improve commercial links and trading
opportunities between Nigeria and Britain in her three-day trip to
Africa. The UK looks to help development in Africa and take a greater
market share amidst competition from the US, China and France.

However,
Atiku believes that the current administration’s handling of the
country is a clog in Britain’s trade routes into Nigeria.

“In the
four years of President Buhari’s Administration, Nigeria has regressed
by almost every domestic and international metric. We have fallen in the
World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report; we have fallen in
Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index; we have
fallen in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index.

“And
Nigeria suffered the indignity of being named officially the poorest
country in the world: We now have more people in extreme poverty than
any other country in the world.”

Atiku, who hopes to become
president of Nigeria after the February 16 election, said “President
Buhari had his chance: but the international rankings do not lie”

Despite
Buhari’s promise to the international community for a free and fair
election, Atiku called on the UK to put pressure on the Nigerian
government to “ensure that Nigerians have the right to determine their
own futures, and to do so free from harassment, vote-suppression or
outright fraud.”

“The Federal Government, the Nigerian Election
Commission (INEC), and local and State officials must understand that
the international community is watching and will not accept anything
less than a fully free and fair election.

“This must include an
end to the government’s ongoing use of state apparatus to hassle and
harass opposition candidates and supporters.”

Buhari became
president in 2015 with the promise of a strong anti-corruption drive but
there are talks of his anti-corruption campaign being selective and
partisan against the opposition parties.

“A real anti-corruption
process is required so that Nigerians, and foreign investors, can have
confidence in our domestic laws, not show trials perpetrated as
‘crackdowns’ on corruption, where corrupt cronies were allowed to
flourish,” Atiku said.

Atiku tacitly promised to “create jobs,
stimulate economic activity, and provide long-term benefits to people
across the 36 Nigerian states.”

“I foresee a new trade
partnership between Nigeria and Britain, enhanced cooperation on
security and counter-terrorism, and deepening our historic links of
culture, family and language.”

Source:- Guardianng