President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in London held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister, Theresa May, where he demanded more influx of British companies and investments into Nigeria.
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, said this in a statement issued in Abuja.
Buhari, who travelled to London on Monday last week, commended British companies Unilever, Cadbury and many others.
He noted that the affected companies had stood with Nigeria through thick and thin, adding that the companies remained in Nigeria even when the country fought a civil war, they never left.
“But like Oliver Twist, we ask for more investments. We are encouraging more British companies to come to Nigeria.
“We appreciate the support you have given in training and equipping our military, particularly in the war against insurgency, but we want to also continue to work with you on trade and investment.”
Buhari also briefed the Prime Minister on the strides in agriculture, which he said had put Nigeria firmly on the road to food self-sufficiency.
“I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture. We have cut rice importation by about 90 per cent, made lots of savings of foreign exchange, and generated employment.
“People had rushed to the cities to get oil money at the expense of farming. But luckily, they are now going back to the farms. Even professionals are going back to the land.
“We are making steady progress on the road to food security,” he said.
Buhari recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government had campaigned on three major issues, to secure the country, revive the economy and fight corruption.
According to him, as the 2019 general election approaches, politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls, while he is bothered more about security and the economy.
“We have elections next year, politicians are already pre-occupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,” he stressed.
While recalling that Nigeria and Britain have a long history of cooperation on several fronts, Buhari said “people ought to know how they arrived where they are, if they would move forward.
“It was a mistake for us to have stopped the teaching of history as a subject in schools, but we are returning it to the curriculum now.”
Prime Minister May, in her remarks, said Britain would continue to work with Nigeria in the areas of training and equipping the military.
She was particular about abduction of young schoolgirls by Boko Haram, noting that Britain would continue to give Nigeria needed assistance.
Mrs May said the Buhari administration had “been making good progress on the economy,” and urged it to maintain the focus, despite approaching elections and increase in political activities.
