President Muhammadu Buhari in his bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister, Theresa May, on Monday revealed he is more bothered about security and economy of the nation than about the 2019 elections. In his words; ”We campaigned on three major issues, to secure the country, revive the economy and fight corruption,” said the president. 
“We have elections next year, politicians are already preoccupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy.” Buhari continued saying; “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.” 
The president, during the meeting commneded British companies like Unilever, Cadbury, and many others, “who have stood with Nigeria through thick and thin. Even when we 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.” 
The president also told prime Minister May about the growth in the agricultural sector of the country saying; “I am very pleased with the successes in agriculture,” he said, adding: “We have cut rice importation by about 90%, 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.” 
Prime Minister May during the meeting gave her words saying Britain would continue to work with Nigeria in training and equipping the military areas, adding that Britain would continue to support Nigeria against Boko Haram. Theresa May said the Buhari administration has “been making good progress on the economy,” and urged it to maintain the focus, despite approaching elections, and increase in political activities. 
On education and climate change, she declared: “Good grounding in education is good. It is important to equip young people for today’s world. It is also a good bastion and defence against modern slavery. The issue of the environment and climate change is very important, because of its impact on many countries in the Commonwealth. Stability at home is important, to curb illegal migration.” 
Photo Credit: Getty
