UK Africa Minister marks Nigerian Centenary

As we pointed out on Tuesday, the UK's Africa Minister is currently in Nigeria for the country's centenary celebrations. He has today given a speech to mark this occasion and brought with him "warm congratulations and best wishes from Her Majesty the Queen."

He spoke about renewing "the unique ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom" and pointed out that:

"Our relationship is rooted in our joint history; in the large and important Nigerian community in the UK; the deep and expanding trade relationship; and our countless educational, sporting and cultural connections."

He backed this up with some hard facts stating that:

"in Nigeria [the UK] remains the largest investor, and are making strides to meet our ambition to double bilateral trade here, from £4 billion in 2011 to £8 billion this year."

And he concluded that he "looks forward to the next century of our partnership, and of Nigerian – and African – success."

You can read the full speech here.