UK lawmakers hail Cameron’s visit to Nigeria ...Caution over Boko Haram

The British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) has expressed hopes that the visit of Prime Minister David Cameron to Nigeria on Tuesday will further deepen bilateral relations between the two countries.

The group hailed the visit, saying Nigeria was sub-Saharan Africa’s most populous and arguably most important country. Therefore, “the UK ‘s bilateral relationship with Nigeria is one of its most important in Africa,” it said in a statement sent to Daily Sun by Catham House, London.
On the Boko Haram crisis, the APPG said it hoped that domestic and international responses would be cautiously managed and based on sound analysis to avoid any risk of harming or alienating innocent citizens in these areas.

It also tasked the British government on reform process in Nigeria. “The APPG hopes that the UK government will continue to support and encourage Nigeria ’s reform efforts,” the statement said.
The statement read in part: “The APPG, on Nigeria hopes that the recent visit by the Prime Minister will enable the UK and Nigerian governments to deepen the existing bilateral relationship for a coordinated proactive approach to common challenges.
“The APPG hopes that the UK government will continue to encourage the Federal Government of Nigeria to make the delivery of basic infrastructure, in particular electrical power, an achievable priority during the current administration.
Implementation of plans to create infrastructure across the country in the next few years is critical for development and poverty reduction in Nigeria , to attract investment and help foster stability and growth.
The APPG, on Nigeria is deeply concerned with the violence that has taken place in some northern states and the activities of the group Boko Haram. The APPG hopes that domestic and international responses will be cautiously managed and based on sound analysis to avoid any risk of harming or alienating innocent citizens in these areas.
The APPG on Nigeria is mindful of the country’s greatly improved electoral process earlier in 2011, largely, thanks to work of the Independent National Electoral Commission and ordinary citizens.
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