By Ahmed Ajikobi
The British Deputy High Commission to Nigeria, Laure Beaufils, has promised to work with the Federal government and State government in all sectors.
Speaking with journalists after a courtesy visit to a private radio station, Royal FM in Ilorin , the Kwara State capital at the weekend, she promised that the British government with partner Nigeria in economy, education and agriculture among other sectors.
Beaufils said her government will look into business environment in Kwara with the intention of providing opportunities for Kwarans and citizens of Britain.
“We are looking for away to understand the physical challenges of Kwara and see if there is specific opportunity.
“British involvement in business will focus on promotion on export and import to see more sector like Agriculture, infrastructure and education among others develop.”
Speaking on challenges of girl-child, she said it is of great concern that females still face such problems like access to education, sexual harassment and child abuse.
On the spread of diseases in the country most especially the monkey pox, she advised the federal and state governments to create massive awareness to curtail the spread of the disease.
Beaufils said the British government with the support of international agencies is working on monitoring and developing vaccines for the disease.
The British envoy further stated that legal hiccups have frustrated efforts to recover looted funds by corrupt Nigerian leaders lodged in Britain.
She however stressed that there was great hope of the nation recovering all the stolen money by its former leaders.
“My message to you is that we are committed to returning the money and there’s no desire to keep that money we can’t access even if we want to. I expect that we’ll see that it goes back in the next couple of years,” she said.
The British envoy who was in Kwara State on the invitation of the owner of a pioneer private radio station in the state, Engr Gbenga Adebayo, had earlier visited Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, the Federation of Female lawyers, members of commerce and industries and civil society groups in the state.
