From Badaru Basiru, Dutse
Governor Mallam Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has received the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, at the Council Chambers of the Government House, Dutse.
Mr. Montgomery was in the state as part of a courtesy visit to congratulate Mallam Umar Namadi on his electoral victory as governor and to brief him on the activities of the British High Commission in Nigeria with a view to strengthening the bilateral relationship that had for years existed between Britain and the Jigawa State government.
The British High Commissioner said his commission had a number of focus states, which Jigawa was one, they had an in-depth partnership with in the areas of health and education sectors improvement. He also mentioned that the commission would extend work in the agricultural livelihood sector to align with the priorities of the state government. He thanked the governor for the warm reception and appreciated the fact that he was one of the architects of such treasured partnership.
In his welcoming speech, Mallam Umar Namadi recalled that Mr. Richard had been to Jigawa as head of the Department for International Development (DFID) and that the training programmes that the department had conducted were of impactful significance to the trainees and the state as a whole.
He said: “We have a very good, outstanding relationship with the British government for over two decades, right from the days of DFID and now FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office).”
On the mutual accountability programme, the governor reiterated that he spearheaded it when he was deputy governor and would continue to be committed to it in rejuvenation of the state civil service as the engine room of government policies implementation.
Among the entourage of the British High Commissioner were Dr. Nadeem Hassan Sheikh, Human Development and Demography; Anisa Islam, Political Section Leader; Abubakar Tijjani, Katsina and Jigawa Regional Co-ordinator.
