Ex-UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair visits Tinubu, pledges support

Ahead of  May 29, swearing-in ceremony, former United Kingdom Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, on Tuesday, paid a visit to the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at the Defence House.

A well-placed  source in Tinubu’s camp who  confirmed  the visit, said  Mr. Blair was in the country to have a ‘crucial diplomatic meeting’ with the president-elect.

“I don’t have all the details yet. But I believe it has to do with fostering a bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. I hope you are aware that the US Secretary also called Asiwaju last week,” he said.

He said the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which he founded, would be a willing partner of the Tinubu administration especially in prioritising its goals and delivery.

He said since leaving office as the UK prime minister, he had been working with governments around the world to help them deliver on their mandates.

He said Blair Institute have 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 told President-elect Tinubu.

He commended Tinubu’s campaign focus on key areas of security, economy, agriculture and power, describing the intertwined nature of the areas as critical to the development of any society.

He expressed optimism that with the appetite shown by investors to invest in Nigeeria.

Blair, however, acknowledged the difficult task before Tinubu and other leaders, at a time of global turmoil.

“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,” he said.

President-elect Tinubu, in his response, expressed appreciation to Blair for the visit and for his offer to work with his administration.

He spoke of the shared vision between him and Tony Blair Institute in their priority areas, but underlined the importance of tackling investment challenges and the need for social investment to fight poverty.

“Yes, we are challenged. But where is our courage? We can eliminate ignorance, diseases and poverty in Africa. We must work hard to ensure democracy works for our people,” Tinubu said.

“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,” he added.

The president-elect promised to provide a conducive environment that would encourage investors and open up opportunities for the people.

In attendance at the meeting were Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima.

Recall  that the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had a phone conversation with Tinubu last week and emphasised his continued commitment to further strengthening the US-Nigeria relationship with the incoming administration.

During their conversation, Tinubu promised to hit the ground running and unify the country upon his assumption of office on May 29. He also pledged to ensure positive relations with the United States.

The President-elect said that among his immediate priorities would be to deliver institutional reforms and development programmes to deepen our democratic institutions and bring help to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

He also expressed his determination to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and faithfully serve the people as their president.

During the talks that lasted about 20 minutes, Tinubu spoke about his eventful sojourn in America in the 1970s, where he graduated with honours as an accountant in 1979.

As of the time of filing this story, no official statement has been released by the media handler of the president-elect on the agenda of the meeting.