The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UK

  • Bayelsa school pupils embark on UK trip

    Bayelsa school pupils embark on UK trip

    Twenty one students and staff of Divine International schools in Yenizue-Gene, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, penultimate week departed the country through Murtsla Muhammed International have embarked on a trip to London, the United Kingdom for an excursion trip.

    The students and staff boarded a British Airways aircraft for the two week’s tour, with the theme: “Globalisation, oneness and culture.”

    The trip, which will see the students and staff visit many places of interest for the two-week excursion, will also provide them opportunity to explore cultural exchange in the United Kingdom, even as they are billed to visit Nigerian House in London, with a courtesy visit to the office of the High Commissioner to the UK, Amb. Tafida Dahaltu.

    Speaking at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the school’s administrator, Mrs Nneka Latunde – Dada, explained that the trip would afford the school and its students to have first hand experience of the education system in the UK, with a view to bringing back home experience that will improve the teaching and learning skills of the students and teachers.

    She explained that the excursion will also serve as a window for the students to see for themselves things they have read about the former colonial masters of Nigeria, adding that such historical and cultural relationship will broaden the understanding of the students.

    Mrs Latunde-Dada said, the excursion will also serve as a window for the managers of the school to network for partner schools in the United Kingdom, who are interested in setting up study centres in Bayelsa State, especially in the preparation of students and candidates for international examinations.

    The administrator explained that with a vast knowledge of the historical and tourism sites in Nigeria, which the students have visited during excursion, it is imperative to step up the game by widening the horizon of the students as future leaders of the nation, who need international exposure.

    She said the theme was carefully selected to align the student’s understanding with cultural exchange across the globe and the need to appreciate the benefits derivable by visiting other countries, as members of the global community.

    They students also expressed excitement over the excursion, which they said will further their understanding on issues relating to culture, for those who are in Arts, even as their counterparts in Sciences believe it will assist them get hands on experience on the relevance of technology in relation to the developed and developing worlds.

    They students were accompanied on the trip by medical personnel. To attend to medical emergencies that may arise for the two week’s excursion as change of climate and environmental issues may trigger some challenges.

     

  • Lagos, UK trade agency partner on power, others

    The Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is partnering the United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) to develop capacity in power and other vital infrastructure.

    The partnership primarily is to initiate a relationship between the United Kingdom companies and the state government.

    The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Taofeek Ajibade Tijani, commended the initiative and the delegation led by Mr Beverley Okoye and Idowu Babalola when they visited him in his office in Lagos.

    The UCTI is a government department that acts as middleman to bridge the gap between UK companies interested in partnering with Nigerian companies and also ensures that UK businesses succeed overseas.

    The UKTI is present in three locations in Nigeria, which Lagos is the focal point for being the economic back-bone of the country. The partnership has achieved some success in Lagos, in building of captive power stations.

    Tijani said the collaboration has resulted in building a 10-megawatt captive power plant in Marina, Lagos, which serves vital state institutions such as the State House in Marina, hospitals, the high court, magistrate court, and street lights powered for 24 hours.

    He said his ministry is working hard on completing a power plant that would ensure stable power supply to key government establishments. He noted that Lagos State stands as the only state with a dedicated Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

    This, he said, underscored the belief of the government that sustaining efficient power supply remains germane to achieving a mega city plan. He assured the delegation of the cooperation of government and urged them to explore other innovative ways to contribute to the development of competitive infrastructure in the state.

     

  • Nigeria, UK sign MoU on counter-terrorism, maritime security

    Nigeria and United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral military cooperation to tackle terrorism and maritime insecurity in the country.

    The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Olusola Obada and her British Counterpart, Hon. Andrew Robathan, signed the pact on behalf of their countries.

    Obada said the MoU was necessary in view of increased crude oil theft from the Niger Delta which is taken abroad for marketing and refining as well as pipeline vandalism which resulted in environmental degradation.

    “We are here to sign an MoU being the third of such agreements. This particular one is in the area of counter-terrorism and maritime security.

    “We in Nigeria need all the support we can get to combat oil bunkering, illegal refineries and vandalism of pipelines as we have a lot of refineries in many parts of the Niger Delta.

    “And when they refine this crude they throw away about 30 per cent. So, you can imagine the amount of degradation that we have in the environment.

    “We need all hands on deck to combat this scourge and also tackle maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. People come to our country to steal our crude oil and refine them abroad,” Obada said.

    The Western Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the MoU is to ensure information and experience sharing on defence as well as security matters which are of mutual interest to both nations.

    It also includes specialised military training for personnel, and partnership in addressing regional and international security challenges.

    NAN reports that the MoU is valid for five years with an automatic extension for another five years.

     

  • Assad accuses UK of ‘bullying’ Syria

    Assad accuses UK of ‘bullying’ Syria

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of bullying and naivety in its approach to the conflict in his country.

    In an interview with the United Kingdom’s Sunday Times newspaper, he said Britain was determined to militarise the situation.

    BBC says he repeated his conditional offer of talks with the opposition and dismissed suggestions that he might step down.

    The UK says it supports the Syrian opposition but does not provide rebels with arms.

    However, at a recent Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, Foreign Secretary William Hague said military aid was possible in the future.

    Mr. Assad, in a rare interview with a Western newspaper, accused UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s “naive, confused, unrealistic” government of trying to end an European Union arms embargo so that the rebels could be supplied with weapons.

    “We do not expect an arsonist to be a firefighter,” he said.

    “To be frank, Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in our region on different issues for decades, some say for centuries.

    “The problem with this government is that their shallow and immature rhetoric only highlights this tradition of bullying and hegemony.”

    He added: “How can we expect to ask Britain to play a role when it is determined to militarise the problem?

    “How can you ask them to play a role in making the situation better, more stable? How can we expect them to make the violence less while they want to send military supply to the terrorists and don’t try to ease the dialogue between the Syrian(s).”

    About 70,000 people have been killed in the Syrian uprising that started almost two years ago. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighbouring countries.

     

  • Insecurity: UK warns citizens against traveling to Nigeria

    Insecurity: UK warns citizens against traveling to Nigeria

    Britain advised its citizens on Wednesday against travelling to several regions in northern Nigeria, after an increase in attacks blamed on Islamist militants and the abduction of several foreigners earlier this month, Reuters reports.

    Gunmen killed a security guard and abducted a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers after storming the compound of Lebanese construction firm Setraco in Bauchi State on February 16.

    It was the worst case of foreigners being kidnapped in the mostly northern part of Nigeria since an insurgency by Boko Haram intensified two years ago.

    Britain upped its travel risk ratings on Wednesday, advising against any travel to Bauchi State and Okene in Kogi State where militants last month attacked Nigerian troops who were bound for Mali to counter an Islamist insurgency.

    It also advised against ” all-but-essential travel” to Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, a statement from the foreign office said.

    Attacks by Islamist groups in northern Nigeria have become the biggest threat to stability in the country.

    Western governments are concerned the militants may link up with groups elsewhere in the region, including al Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM, especially given the conflict in nearby Mali.

    France sent troops to Mali last month to help oust Islamist rebels.

    Islamist group Ansaru claimed responsibility for the Setraco raid in Bauchi and the Okene attack.

    The Setraco raid was “based on the transgression and atrocities done to the religion of Allah by the European countries in many places such as Afghanistan and Mali,” said the group, which has kidnapped other foreigners in Nigeria in the past.

     

  • UK loses top AAA credit rating

    UK loses top AAA credit rating

    The United Kingdom has lost its top AAA credit rating for the first time since 1978 on expectations that growth will “remain sluggish over the next few years.”

    BBC says the ratings agency Moody’s became the first to cut the UK from its highest rating, to Aa1.

    Moody’s said the government’s debt reduction programme faced significant “challenges” ahead.

    Chancellor George Osborne said the decision was “a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country.”

    “Far from weakening our resolve to deliver our economic recovery plan, this decision redoubles it,” he added. “We will go on delivering the plan that has cut the deficit by a quarter.”

    But the BBC says Mr. Osborne now risks being dubbed the “downgrade chancellor.”

    “Worse could follow if the Budget shows borrowing rising… but for most people, what will matter is not credit ratings or statistics but higher fuel, food and other prices and if interest rates go up,” he added.

    The UK has had a top AAA credit rating since 1978 from both Moody’s and S&P.

    Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said the decision was a “humiliating blow to a prime minister and chancellor who said keeping our AAA rating was the test of their economic and political credibility.”

     

  • I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    I had cancer, but fully okay now – Chime

    Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on Tuesday opened up on his health condition, admitting to journalists that he had cancer of the nose.

    Chime, who returned to the country after almost four months stay in United Kingdom, was quick to add that he has been given a clean bill of health by the British doctors.

    “I have been completely cured and declared cancer free by the doctors,” he told journalists.

    Looking hale and hearty, the governor spoke at length on his sojourn abroad and the unfair publicity given his absence by the Nigerian press.

    “When I read in the papers how I died in India, we then turn Nigerian papers to entertainment forum. We read what they wrote about me and laughed. It became an amusement kind of thing,” he said of Nigerian papers.

    Chime, who has fully resumed duty said although cancer is a deadly disease, he was never admitted in the hospital as in-patient but was going for treatment from his apartment in London.

    According to him, the treatment took complete 12 weeks and the doctors advised that he should be out of work for at least six months to ensure full recovery.

    But the doctors were amazed at the speed of his recovery and declared him cancer free and completely cured on December 14.

    “I left London a healthy man. I went on my own and not on emergency, and insisted that the lump I noticed be removed. Cancer is curable once you discover it early,” the governor admonished.

    He thanked the people of Enugu for their prayers, patience and for “rebuffing those from outside who came to deceive them and cause confusion while he was away.”

    Chime declared: “I have fully resumed. There is no doubt about that. I’m back and I’m back. No regrets whatsoever for going for treatment while on my vacation. If I have the opportunity again, I will do it.”

     

  • Nigerians, others in UK celebrate Super Eagles victory

    Nigerians, others in UK celebrate Super Eagles victory

    Nigerians in the United Kingdom are ecstatic over the Super Eagles victory at the just concluded African Cup of Nations in South Africa..

    The Super Eagles defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 in a highly tensed final played in Johannesburg on Sunday evening.

    Most African restaurants and bars in London were packed full of Nigerians, Ghanians, and supporters of the Super Eagles from Europe and the Caribbean.

    The Western Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that football analysts in London had earlier tipped the Super Eagles as favorites and potential winner of the tournament.

    Speaking to NAN, after the match, Mr. Jehrome Ndukwe, a lawyer and member of the Central Association of Nigerians (CANUK) said “it was a well deserved victory, the boys played their hearts out.”

    Ndukwe, however, said more goals would have been scored if all the opportunities were utilized.

    Similarly, Mrs. Grace Duniya who travelled from Derby to London to watch the match with fellow supporters called for the inclusion of younger players to the team.

    “You can see the difference in the selection of players, initially, Stephen Keshi was criticsed but he knew what he was doing, the game of football goes with stamina which younger players have the better advantage,” she said.

    Duniya also commended the Burkinabes for getting to the finals for the first time

    “They are a very strong team also, I congratulate them for coming this far.”

    Others, who spoke to NAN, also commended the Burkinabes, and urged the federal government to always motivate athletes before any competition.

     

  • UK to host Afghan-Pakistani talks

    UK to host Afghan-Pakistani talks

    British Prime Minister David Cameron will hold key talks with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to discuss the Afghan peace process, BBC reports.

    The trilateral summit – the third since last summer – is aimed at improving co-operation between both countries to promote regional stability.

    For the first time Afghan and Pakistani army and intelligence chiefs will also take part in the discussions.

    NATO troops are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

    In a process initiated by Mr. Cameron last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari have agreed to work together on a framework of co-operation following the international troops’ departure next year.

    The steadily approaching deadline for the military exit will inevitably be a key factor in the talks, not least for Pakistan with its concerns about security across the region from then on, the report adds.

    Mr. Cameron will host a dinner with Mr. Karzai and Mr. Zardari at his official country residence Chequers north of London on Sunday evening.

    He will then hold the in-depth talks with both presidents and their key officials on Monday.

    “This trilateral process sends a very clear message to the Taliban: now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful political process in Afghanistan,” Downing Street said in a statement.

     

  • UK to support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism

    UK to support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism

    The United Kingdom will increase its support to Nigerian military in the fight against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the West African sub-region, particularly Mali.

    The new British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Pocock, told journalists in Abuja on Friday that London has great interest in Nigeria in view of its size, resources, importance in West Africa, the continent and the world as a whole.

    He said: “Sadly, terrorism in the northern part of the country has taken many lives and is damaging economic and developmental prospects; and increasingly, the daily struggle of too many poor people.

    “Nigeria and the UK have a shared agenda not just to address security in the region, but worldwide. Nigeria is not alone in the fight against terrorism in your country. We are with Nigeria considering our interests here.

    “We have a long history of military cooperation which we hope to expand. Nigeria is not alone, West Africa is not alone and Mali is not alone.

    “The UK has experience of its own, which it is already sharing with the Nigerian authorities. What is happening in Nigeria is part of the Sahelian problem just like what is happening in Mali.”

    Stressing that fight against terrorism requires an integrated political, economic, security and human rights approaches, Pocock said that one of his cardinal objectives in Nigeria is to reduce terror threat in the sub region.