Sir Tony Blair, a former British prime minister, declared that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration of Nigeria, whom he helped elect, would be a willing partner of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which he founded.
In particular, he stated, the Institute would be willing to work with Tinubu’s administration to prioritise its objectives and meet them.
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According to a statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Blair made the vow while meeting with the president-elect at the Defence House in Abuja, on Tuesday.
In addition, Blair told his guests that he had been collaborating with governments all around the world to support them in carrying out their missions ever since he left his position as UK Prime Minister.
He said the Blair Institute had a project in place in Nigeria and felt it was incumbent upon him to meet Nigeria’s incoming president to understand the administration’s priorities.
“We would like to help in any way with your administration, we only need to know what the leadership priorities are and help in how to actualise them,” Blair said.
He praised Tinubu’s campaign’s emphasis on the vital issues of security, the economy, agriculture, and power, praising their interconnectedness as being essential to the advancement of any nation.
Blair expressed hope that the Tinubu administration will have the backing necessary to promote economic growth in Nigeria due to the willingness of investors to make investments in the country.
“Being in government today anywhere in the world is tough, you have things happening around the world which affect you and for which you can’t do anything much,” Blair said.
Tinubu commended the former UK Prime Minister for the visit and for the offer to work with the incoming administration.
Tinubu spoke of the shared vision between him and the Tony Blair Institute in their priority areas.
He, however, underlined the importance of tackling investment challenges and the need for social investment to fight poverty.
“We have to invest more, put technology in place and keep terrorists at bay, because without effective security, there is no guarantee investors will come,” Tinubu said.
