BREXIT: 6 things Nigeria is to expect as Britain leaves EU

The term Brexit is a commonly used for the United Kingdom's planned withdrawal from the European Union.

Following the 2016 referendum vote to leave, the UK government started the withdrawal process on Wednesday, March 29 2017, putting the UK on course to leave by April 2019.

According to Paul Thomas Arkwright and the foreign and commonwealth office, the decision the British people made on 23rd June 2016 to leave the EU was a momentous one. One that will lead to change, and much detail about that change is still uncertain. But there are some very important certainties, which includes what the move will mean for Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

What are the benefits of Brexit to Nigeria?

1. A victory for Democracy

Brexit shows a great deals as to how democracy is to be respected, something Nigerians also understand. The importance of respecting the democratic decision-making process can be likened to the kind of example that President Gooduck Jonathan also gave when he handed power to President Buhari in 2015. He showed then that there could be a peaceful transition of power from one democratically elected civilian President to another in Nigeria. So following the BREXIT vote, it was a very powerful signal of democracy to the world that the then British Prime Minister did not dispute the outcome, accepted it and resigned his office to allow new leadership to take forward the choice the British people had decided upon.

2. Terror attacks will be put to check

The relationship between Britain and Nigeria following Brexit, will allow for real and long term security co-operation, to help prevent and combat the kind of attacks we have seen by terrorists in Europe, Nigeria and most recently London on the Houses of Parliament.

Britain says it is as committed as ever to working with international partners to achieve a safer, healthier and more prosperous planet.

The UK says it will continue to live up to its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and its engagement as a NATO member will remain steadfast.

3. Great contribution to commonwealth

The UK's contributions through membership of the G7 and G20 will remain constructive and crucial to global stability. It's links with the Commonwealth, of which Nigeria is a key and major member, are unique and dynamic. The United Kingdom’s undertaking to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on international development, and 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defence is enshrined in its law and means that the UK is the only major economy to meet both those commitments.


BREXIT: 6 things Nigeria is to expect as Britain leaves EU
4. Stronger ties to Nigeria and Africa

The UK's diplomatic network – its number of embassies and offices – extends across the continent. The UK is still the largest European overseas investor in sub-saharan Africa, and the second largest globally. According to Paul Thomas Arkwright, the UK remains committed to helping partner African states to alleviate poverty across the continent.

Specifically, the UK has said that across Africa through its spending on international development in the next 5 years, it will support 5.8 million children to gain a decent education, support 23.7 million people to have sustainable access to clean water or sanitation and provide 31.2 million women, adolescent girls and children with nutritional support.

The UK’s impact will be felt across Africa, as it plans to remain a steadfast partner to the continent.

5. Bilateral trade gets better

In many ways very little has changed following Brexit, its bilateral trade relationship is still worth £3.8bn per annum. Shell, a British-Dutch company, has still invested billions of pounds into Nigeria and has around sixty onshore or shallow water oilfields and seven hundred wells.

Shell still owns approximately one third of oil produced in Nigeria. Nigeria remains the largest oil producing country