BY HENRY IFEANYI
Lagos — THE European Union (EU) said it had donated €10 million to help Nigeria fight insecurity.
EU Representative in Nigeria, Dr Nicholas Wescot, who disclosed that the money would also be used to tackle such problems as the Boko Haram sect and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
“We are keen to provide support and from our instrument for stability we have just agreed an additional 10 million Euros to help support the Nigeria security apparatus to develop its capability of solving some of these challenges,” he said.
Wescot also revealed that EU had approved ‚Ǩ500 million developmental fund to support the country’s economy from 2014 to 2020.
The sum shows a decline from EU previous budgetary support sum which stood at €677 million between 2008 to 2013.
Wescot said the fund was approved under the 11th European Union Development Fund (EDF) from 2014 to 2020.
He said the sum would be used in the next seven years to reduce poverty particularly in the northern part of the country.
He said the EU and prospective investors from the bloc would target investments in the agriculture sector to provide jobs for the unemployed people in Nigeria, particularly in the rural areas.
On the 2015 elections, Wescot said the EU would assist Nigeria to build robust democratic institutions, where differences of views could be resolved peacefully without resorting to violence.
The forthcoming elections in Nigeria would be a very important step to the evolution of Nigeria’s democracy. All the people of Nigeria and the international community want those elections to be transparent, honest, open, credible and peaceful,‚Äù he said.
Wescot said he hoped to hold a formal meeting with Prof Attahiru Jega, the Independent National Election Commission Chairman, to discuss credible elections in Nigeria.
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