Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Tuesday advocated greater collaboration between the United Kingdom and Lagos State in the field of skills development especially education.
[b]
Governor Fashola who spoke when he received the United Kingdom Home Office Minister of State for Immigration, Mr Damian Green (MP) at Lagos House, Ikeja on a courtesy call added that through it, affiliation can be created for British Universities in Lagos to see the possibility of rendering services that can keep the people at home and still benefit from the education.

Said he: “I have been thinking that, is there any way we can create affiliations for British Universities in Lagos and see whether we can render those services that can keep our people at home and also keep the economic benefits for U.K Skills development centres in a way that affords a win-win situation”.

“I have already written to the British Prime Minister on some of these issues. We have a State University which we are repositioning and I think this represents some of the possibilities that we want to leverage”.

He added that he has enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with the Deputy High Commissioner for the British High Commission in Nigeria and his team who are extremely business oriented.[/b]

The Governor stated that he is regularly being briefed by his aides that progress is being made on many fronts and expressed the hope that something tangible can be put together that will signify the re-invigoration of business relations between Nigeria and United Kingdom.

Governor Fashola reiterated that this are very challenging times for leaders at all levels simply because many economies are not lending itself to the many solutions that are being proffered to tackle current challenges.

“The expectations of our people on many front is that things will happen quickly than we are able to deal with them as leaders. However, the best days still lie ahead of us and we must understand that people would always be what they will be-impatient and critical”.

Governor Fashola who also spoke on the issue of security challenges in Nigeria said the government at the centre has taken measures to reposition law enforcement agencies as well as strengthen the nation’s borders.

Governor Fashola who noted that going by weather indications the people of United Kingdom would experience a very cold winter period this year, added that the people of Lagos will be very willing to play host to U.K citizens who may wish to come and savour the warm weather.

He said to underscore this, the state Government is facilitating the promotion of tourism which it believes has a large opportunity for growth and employment and has also created a Ministry of Tourism to harness the opportunities.

Speaking earlier, the U.K Home Office Minister of State for Immigration, Mr Damian Green (MP) said he has been told a lot about the efforts and initiatives of the Governor to improve governance in the State.

He explained that he was in Lagos for the first time as part of his intentions to establish trading and investment link in one of the fastest growing and important economies in the years ahead.

He also promised the Governor that he will take up the request for educational partnership with the British Government as requested by the Governor on his return home.

Mr Green reiterated that his ministry issues visas to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians coming to the United Kingdom while the ministry is keen on ensuring that it improves business relations and also offer quality service to business travelers.

The event was attended by members of the State Executive Council including the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr Oyinlomo Danmole and members of the entourage of the British Minister including the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Robin Gwynn.

werepeLeri:

Mr Fashola sir. You have spoken under the assumption that most poeple who travel out to the UK to study do so under the quest for education mainly? If so, why do majority of them stay put even after the expiration of the study visa? You may want to research the statement above properly sir, majority of people who are on "exodus" to the UK- even though you didnt use the word exodus - most of them have more other reasons they do so. Thus, even if you bring the equivalent of Oxford University to Nigeria, or Oxford University campuses to Lagos State - most people will still shun this and prefer to "exude" to the UK. This is a fact sir.

werepeLeri:

LOL.

I wonder if it had been the President who made this suggestion. He would have been called names as usual.

Said he: “I have been thinking that, is there any way we can create affiliations for British Universities in Lagos and see whether we can render those services that can keep our people at home and also keep the economic benefits for U.K Skills development centres in a way that affords a win-win situation”.

“I have already written to the British Prime Minister on some of these issues. We have a State University which we are repositioning and I think this represents some of the possibilities that we want to leverage”.

He added that he has enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with the Deputy High Commissioner for the British High Commission in Nigeria and his team who are extremely business oriented.

ekt_bear:

The cynicism here puzzles me

ekt_bear:

The cynicism here puzzles me

ekt_bear:

The cynicism here puzzles me

ekt_bear:

I have an uncle who sent his two kids to Canada for university.

They plan on returning to Nigeria at some point to work.

If the University of Toronto decided to open up a campus in Lagos, why wouldn't my uncle just have his kids go there? They get a world-class education and he saves a lot of cash (even if they charge the same exact tuition, he'll save money on accommodation.) Is this not a win for both my uncle and Lagos? Even U of T wins (well, possibly.)

Like I said, I don't see why this is a dumb idea. Perhaps it is, but it isn't obvious to me.

hercules07:

the first step is to make sure admission is strictly on merit.

PointB:


Very correct!

But because Fashola made very general and largely academic comments; now he should be the president. Na wa for this butt-lickers.

@Topic,

Fashola has said nada!
Lets analyis it:

What services? I have been thinking too. Just haven't met the Ambassador yet to let him know that I have been thinking.

Ok, you are repositioning a State University - LASU, I suppose? Carry on! GEJ is promoting new Universities to accommodate and educate the ever growing Nigeria learning populace. I rather we build bigger universities, so that what happened (in happening) in the power sector (inadaquate power station) will not rear it ugly head in the education sector 20 years from now. GEJ has a better solution on education!

That is how it starts- butt-licking the white man! Tomorrow, wikileaks will tell us other stuff he said in 'private' to the Ambassador!

The rest of the comment are the official balderdash!

There is nothing worth writing home about in those comments, no matter how much Fashola sycophant would like to twist it.

[size=28pt]FASHOLA SHOULD FIX LAGOS ROADS[/size]!

ekt_bear:

Right, so I don't know what "reposition" or "affiliation" look like in this context.

Does reposition = make LASU this university attractive to all these kids going abroad? If so, probably won't work out too well.

Or does he want to make a new flagship campus, one jointly owned/managed by Lagos and some foreign well-regarded university? To use a Georgia analogy, maybe for him "reposition" means create a Georgia Tech to LASU's University of Georgia (Georgia Tech is the best public school in Georgia, very well-regarded, much harder to get into than UGA and also costs more money.)

We are lacking details on how exactly he wants to achieve his goal.

philip0906:

My broda I tire with this him over zealousness.This same dude was blasting Fg roads about oshodi-apapa road,when Lagos roads are in a state of comatose.Please tell this guy,that not all of us are gullible with all this his superman antics. . .

PointB:


I am sure his sycophants here a getting the message. With all the revenue generated in the state, the very least he could do is to fix the roads; but we keep getting stories and excuses, and phantom development. Fashola is clearly overrated!

[size=28pt]JUST FIX LAGOS ROADS, FASHOLA!![/size]

seanet02:

Illiteracy of the Highest Order!!
[size=18pt]Even in UK, there are still Pot Holes and Slums[/size].

PointB:

^^^

I like a good laugh. Permit me to join in.

Relax, potholes exist everywhere, Lagos cannot be an exception - [i]Ode[/i]seanet02