The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Paul Arkwright

  • Herders/farmers crisis not about religion, says U.K Envoy

    The outgoing United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, has maintained that the herders/farmers crisis is not driven by religion.
    Briefing newsmen on the visit of Prince Charles and his wife Camila, Arkwright posited that there are big issues that underline the crisis.
    He blamed climate change and population growth as part of the cause root of the crisis.
    “this is not a religious conflict. This is a conflict which is driven by a number of complex reasons, climate change, pressure on resources, pressure on land, desertification to the North of Nigeria, the population growth. There are big big issues there which underline the conflict.
    “The farmer/herders conflict is not in my view about religion even if some people would like to make it about religion.”
    Speaking on then Royal visit, he said President Muhammadu Buhari and the visiting Prince Charles are old friends, the outgoing United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, has revealed.
    Arkwright noted that the visit of the prince Charles and his wife Camila is expected to improve the tie between Britain and Nigeria.
     “The prince and president have known each other for a number of years now and the have met a number of times,”
    He described their Tuesday meeting as ” a cordial meeting between the prince and the president.”
    Adding that “a number of issues discussed of mutual interest.”
    He also stressed that the visit was a diverse one as the prince met with diverse groups while in Nigeria.
    Also responding to the question of cancellation of the planned address of the British House of Lords by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) the High Commissioner said the government was not involved.
    He stressed that the arms of government operates independently.
    “The visits of T.Y Danjumma was an event Organised in the House of Lords host by two parliamentarian. As you know the UK parliament is independent and has nothing to do with the government. It has nothing to do with the British government. We are aware that it was happening but the cancellation has nothing to do with us. “
    Danjuma was invited by the parliament to address the House on the issue of herders and farmer clashes in Nigeria.

  • Ekiti: Oshiomhole wants adequate security deployment

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomole has said enough security operatives, including the military should be deployed to Ekiti State for this weekend’s governorship election to ensure the safety of the electorates and the votes cast during the election.

    Oshiomhole said a situation where criminals will be wielding AK 47 on an election day, and the police is overwhelmed should not be allowed to occur in Ekiti state, adding that the deployment of a large number of policemen for this weekend’s governorship election in Ekiti State was necessary to ensure safety of lives during the election.

    Oshiomhole who spoke with newsmen shortly after receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright said the number of policemen deployed to the state for the conduct of the election does not matter as long as it is aimed at protecting the lives of the people.

    The Inspector General of Police has reportedly deployed about 30,000 policemen to Ekiti State for the conduct of the election, but Oshiomhole said there was nothing wrong in the deployment, adding that for an effective presence and performance both army and police were needed in the state.

    He said that experience has shown that sometimes, such figures of deployment are announced, while the actual presence on Election Day will be a far cry from the announced deployment.

    Read Also: Fayemi warns troublemakers to leave Ekiti

    “Whether they should use the military or not use the military, I don’t think you want to argue that. Over the years since 2003, 1999, the armed forces have always been deployed.

    “Don’t forget that when I was in Edo state, I told people that I want the armed forces to be involved in the election because the rigging machine is serviced by criminals who are hardened and who are often hired. Now if you have criminals wielding AK 47 on an election day, and the police is overwhelmed you want to say the army should not be deployed?

    “We shouldn’t worry about who we deploy. I think we should all pray that however people are deployed that in the end we are not counting dead bodies.

    “My experience in Edo is that you will hear stories like so so number of people deployed. In the end, you will find no police men. I have seen that in Edo. The important thing is that regardless of what the  police chooses to do, regardless of the number they choose to deploy, let us ensure that those who are going to vote are safe and that the votes cast are secure.

    “Whatever number they need to secure the lives of those who are going to vote to create that sense of security for people to move freely to vote for candidates of their choice, I don’t think we should dictate to the Inspector General of Police how many people he wants to deploy” he said.

    The APC National Chairman also appreciated the British government for their support in promoting democracy in Nigeria, assuring that he would do everything to ensure a free and fair process in the Ekiti governorship election.

    “For the process is more important than the outcome because we are looking at the Nigeria project in terms of sustaining democracy not the survival of a particular political aspirant whether it is on my party platform or in the platform of the opposition” he said.

    In his remarks, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright said his country is interested in Nigeria’s democracy added that they intend to send observers for the election to ensure it is free and fair.

    “The British High Commission will be sending a team there to observe the election and to ensure that they go smoothly, to ensure that INEC can do its job, that the security forces do their job and basically to ensure that the people of Ekiti state are allowed to freely express their opinion, to vote along with their conscience and to be able to do so in peaceful manner” Arkwright said.

  • I’m in politics for building a better Nigeria — Peter Obi

    Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has stressed that he is not in politics for position but as a loyal party man to contribute in building a better Nigeria for the benefit of all Nigerians.

    Obi made the clarification while responding to media inquiries while attending the 242nd US Independence ceremony on Saturday in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    Asked to confirm if it is true that he has been chosen as the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 elections, Obi threw the question back, asking: “Do you choose the vice presidential candidate before the emergence of the presidential candidate?”

    When the reporter replied in the negative, the former governor said: “That means that the answer is capital NO. Nobody has discussed that with me. Let me point out that the position of Vice President is not something which one can vie for; it is the prerogative of the candidate, after due consultations with the party, to choose his running mate.

    “I am in politics because I want to help in building a better future for Nigerians, especially for our children – we must bequeath them a better country.”

    Read Also: Education is key, says Peter Obi

    Continuing, Obi, who was days ago rumoured to have emerged as the running mate of PDP frontrunner Atiku Abubakar, said: “Every Nigerian must be concerned about the daily killing in our country. Every Nigerian must be concerned about the high level of insecurity in our country today. Every Nigerian must be concerned about the 10 million children out of school when they are supposed to be in school – considering that education is the most important investment we can make for our children for their future. Every Nigerian must be concerned about the millions of unemployed people, especially youths in their productive age who are unemployed.

    “These are my concerns. As I have always said, I would prefer to be an ordinary person in a great country than to be a great man in a failed country.”

    Obi also supported the call by the USA Consul General, Mr. Paul Arkwright for Nigerians to embrace mentoring, saying that the same urge to mentor the young ones was one of the reasons for his school apostolate.

    Obi extended his condolences to those who lost their loved ones in recent mass deaths in the country, especially in the Plateau massacre and Thursday evening’s traffic inferno in the Berger area of Lagos. He appealed to government at all levels to rise up to the challenge of securing the life and property of all Nigerians “since the primary duty of government is to secure the lives of the citizens.”

  • British envoy tasks recipients of scholarship scheme on nation building

    British envoy tasks recipients of scholarship scheme on nation building

    The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, , has urged recipients of the 2017 to 2018 Chevening Scholarship to come back home after their studies to contribute to the nation’s political and economic development.

    Arkwright gave the advice on Thursday at the award presentation ceremony and reception in honour of the 43 Nigerians for the 2017 to 2018 Chevening Scholarship at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Abuja.

    Chevening is a UK governments’ global scholarship programme that offers students the unique opportunity to study for a fully-funded master’s degree in the UK.

    They will be departing for study in the UK this September.

    He said: “the Chevening encourages students to learn from others and to come back to their home countries to contribute to their home economy and develop their countries with the knowledge gotten from the UK educational system.

    “This is more like an event to celebrate the success of the hard work of the recipients of the Chevening and Common Wealth scholarships who will be furthering their studies in the UK.

    “This year in Nigeria alone, we had just over 6,000 students apply for the Chevening scholarship but only 43 students were selected so these are the best of the best in the country.

    “We are proud of these selected scholars and happy that they will be benefiting from the UK educational system which is one of the best, if not the best in the world.

    “The major aspect of this scholarship which has been running since 1983, consists of a community of 48,000 people around the world.”

    Also speaking at the event, Dr Habiba Lawal, acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chevening alumna congratulated the scholars and encouraged the scholars to utilise the scholarship opportunity.

    “I want to congratulate all the Chevening scholars here as a received this same scholarship 20 years ago.

    “It is an opportunity that opened doors for me and greatly influenced the way I work, my skills and competence.

    “I have been serving as a permanent secretary for the past four-and-a-half years, I have worked in four different ministries and I am currently serving as the acting SGF with the help of the Chevening education.

    “Utilise this opportunity and ensure you come back to your country to contribute to the Nigerian economy so that the aim of the scholarship can be attained and together we can build Nigeria,’’ she said.

    Felix Nnam, a Chevening recipient, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad.

    “I am extremely grateful to the UK government for helping me actualise my dreams of getting an advanced degree in the UK.

    “I will definitely make sure that I make everyone proud and that I make the best use of this opportunity.’’

    Salisu Ibrahim, also a recipient, said “this is an amazing opportunity given to us and I am happy that the UK government is willing to fund the next level of my education.

    “We are definitely going to put in the work to make Nigerians proud and ensure we come back home as Chevening ambassadors to contribute to the development of Nigeria,’’ he said.

  • UK to support Nigeria power sector reform

    UK to support Nigeria power sector reform

    British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, said the British Government would support power sector reform in Nigeria.

    Arkwright disclosed this to journalists after visiting the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

    He said the visit was to identify areas of collaboration with the Nigerian Government, especially in infrastructure and power sector.

    He said the idea was to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda on diversification, adding that no meaningful progress could be made without effective power sector.

    The envoy said the meeting was also for British companies to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s power sector.

    NAN

  • Kogi to employ 3,000 security, tourism personnel

    Mr. Gbenga Olorunpomi, the Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, has said that the State Government would soon employ 3,000 workers, to boost security and tourism.

    Olorunpomi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja that for tourism to thrive in the state, proper security had to be in place to secure the visitors.

    “We are taking our step one after the other; the development of the state is going to be built on security, peace and unity; so we take the issue of security seriously.

    “That is why we have deployed so much resources to providing security gadgets for our security officers; we have done all these because we want security.

    “In this regard, we want to develop our different tourism sites- Mount Patti, other sites, and the different festivals in order to attract tourists and investment to the state’’.

    The aide said the government was negotiating with some organisations to develop and manage the different tourist sites in the state through public private partnership.

    “In April, the British Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, was on Mount Patti, to see the tourist site; so we are excited for the future’’.

    He said the executive arm of government had sponsored bills to the State House of Assembly, to ensure the maximum use of natural resources and tourism sites in Kogi.

    The aide said that the State Government was working on the Kogi Hotels, which the previous administration initiated to ensure that tourists and visitors have a good place to lay their heads.

    “We are doing a lot to improve on security, peace, unity as well as promote tourism in the state”.

     

  • British envoy: Nigeria, China, India’ll be three biggest countries

    British envoy: Nigeria, China, India’ll be three biggest countries

    • UK simplifies visa application

    Nigeria will become the third biggest country in the world, overtaking the United States (U.S) to join China and India as the three biggest countries, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, has said.

    Arkwright, who spoke in Lagos while delivering a lecture titled: Nigeria-British Relations – The Next 100 Years as part of activities to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), said Nigeria’s role in the world would change significantly as the country will become the third biggest country in the world

    He added that in few years, Lagos will also become a major global economic centre.

    He said: “By 2050, Nigeria will be the third biggest country in the world as it will overtake the U.S.A to join China and India as the three biggest countries.

    “Secondly, Lagos – Africa’s fifth largest economy in 2016 – will become more important in the coming years as the African example of how to break down barriers to doing business and bring in foreign investment.”

    Arkwright said the British Embassy in Nigeria has started special services that will allow visa applicants to get their visa on the same day or within five days of application. The embassy has also reduced the maximum turnaround time for all classes of visa application to 15 days.

    He said United Kingdom (U.K) remained steadfast in her resolve to sustain the age-long relationships with Nigeria as well as provide support for Nigerians, especially by keeping her doors open to law abiding citizens.

    “In 2016, around 140,000 Nigerians applied for visas to the UK. Of those that applied for student visas, 90 per cent were successful. For those that applied for other visas, around 70 per cent were successful. There are as many as 250,000 Nigerian nationals or dual Nigerian-British nationals living in the UK at the moment. Some claim the total Nigerian diaspora in the UK is well over a million.”We want Nigerians to come to the UK. They come to do business, to study, to see family and to invest in our economy.

    “We have introduced a same day visa service – at a cost – for visas in Nigeria. We have also introduced a service that can mean you get a visa within five days, at a lower cost than the same day process. Our turnaround time for all other visas is 15 days. The key thing, however, is that all visitors to the UK – whether they are from Nigeria or anywhere else – must respect the law and the length of time their visa says they can stay in the UK,” Arkwright said.

    He disclosed that the UK was happy with the economic outlook of Nigeria, adding that by virtue of the policies and investment habits of the current Federal Government of Nigeria, it is clear that the country would no longer be dependent on aid to develop.

  • UK launches 24-hour visa service in Nigeria

    The United Kingdom has launched Super Priority Visa service in Nigeria to allow customers to process their applications within 24 hours.

    The British High Commission, in its website, said the new service was to particularly meet the needs of those requiring urgent traveling service.

    The High Commission said the British High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright, hailed the introduction of the Super Priority Visa service in Nigeria.

    “I am pleased to see the Super Priority Visa service being launched in Nigeria,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the British High Commissioner as saying on the new visa service.

    “This comes with an additional cost but is designed to give greater flexibility to our customers and underlines our strong commitment to improving the visa services we offer.

    “We expect this new service to be particularly useful for business. We understand that business opportunities and urgent requirements can arise at very short notice.

    “We recognise this and want to facilitate such travel to the UK with this new super-fast service.”

  • More British firms coming, says envoy

    More British firms coming, says envoy

    More British companies will be encouraged to do business with their Nigerian counterparts, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright has assured.

    The envoy, who gave the assurance during his visit to Rack Centre, West Africa’s premium Data Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, expressed satisfaction with the level of development that the organisation has achieved in less than foru years of operation.

    Accompanied by a team from the Trade and Development section of the High Commission, Arkwright said it was interesting to hear that that the facility had not had a single downtime since its inception even as it upgrades frequently with seamlessly integration to the BladeRoom Technology.

    Director of Operations, Rack Centre, Mr Ezekiel Egboye, who conducted the visitors on a tour of Rack Centre data centre facility, said the relationship with BladeRoom has contributed immensely towards the quality and efficiency of Rack Centre modular and scalable data centre, providing real-time 1.5 average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The visit was a boost to the continued growing trade and investment relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom  (UK) as Rack Centre has been a beneficiary of British Technology. The data centre technology at Rack Centre is largely based on British patent technology by Bladeroom, a data centre technology provider based in the UK.

    Mr Egboye told the envoy that Rack Centre was the first West African data centre to attain Tier lll design certification by the Uptown Institute, adding that  it won the prestigious 2015 award from the renowned Data Centre Dynamics EMEA, making the firm the first African firm to achieve the feat.

  • UK ‘ready to repatriate’ looted Nigerian funds

    UK ‘ready to repatriate’ looted Nigerian funds

    United Kingdom is prepared to repatriate looted Nigerian funds in its banks, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, has said.

    The British government, according to Arkwright has no intention of holding onto the money.

    The High Commissioner told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the looted funds belong to Nigerians and should be returned to the country.

    But he drew attention to the legal requirements which Nigeria must meet in order to have the money back.

    He said: “clearly, there are legal requirements that we have to meet. We are working with the Nigerian government to see what we can do to return those funds.

    “They (money) will be returned, there is absolutely no doubt about it.”

    He however did not say how much will be returned to the federal government.

    Arkwright explained that everything was being done to fast-track the repatriation process.

    He added: “The Prime Minister’s anti-corruption summit will be held in May, we are hoping that President Muhammadu Buhari will attend that anti-corruption summit in London.

    “We expect that there will be some further news on how we can accelerate that process of repatriating the funds.

    “I think we have no intention of holding onto this money, despite some of the reports in the press.”

    The envoy, however, said there was the need to extract the commitment of the federal government that the money would be judiciously spent when repatriated.

    “We need to make sure that the money is well spent when it returns to Nigeria. We need to make sure that we can do that in a proper way, which is fully in compliance with the British law,” he added.