By Favour Nnabugwu

Bilateral trade between Nigerian and United Kingdom has increased by 80 per cent in the last four years, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Andrew Lloyd told Vanguard.

Lloyd at the inauguration of Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria, CAAN in Abuja recently said that the trade ties between the two country has improved considerable attributing the rise to improvement in the nation’s economy which also spurred the number of Nigerians entering the UK.

He said, “This year has been a busy year for the Embassy because trade between Nigeria and Britain is on the rise to over 80 per cent this year, and the number of Nigerians visiting the UK has also gone up by over 20 per cent”.

He said, “I think Nigeria economy is growing and people can afford to do business and also travel from Nigeria to Britain” Trade ties between Nigeria and UK rose to £4 billion in 2010 from £1.86 billion recorded in 2009. “I also think as historic relationship continues between Nigeria and Britain, naturally, the trade ties between the two countries also would increase.”.

“Over the last four years, visa application has gone up from 120,000 in 2008 to 150,000 in 2009 to 190,000 in 2010 and 200,000 this year. The British government welcomes the rise in the trade between Nigeria and Britain. We are very pleased to see the increasing interaction between Nigeria and Britain”.

It is against this backdrop that the British government is funding Chevening to offer scholarships to Nigerian graduates to universities in London for postgraduate studies which has also culminated into the inauguration of Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria being coordinated by Mr Thomas Odemwingie.

He said, “I’m a great believer in Chevening.  I think it demonstrates our commitment to Nigeria in a unique way, seeking out young people at an early age who are going to be leaders of this country in the future, in a wide range of disciplines.  We choose candidates not only for excellence in their field, but also for their leadership qualities”.

“The programme itself symbolizes something we really value in the United Kingdom: quality education, it’s one of our top priorities, and the British public wants to extend this value to others too.