Buhari rejects Rolls Royce in London

 
President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, currently
on a private visit to England, on Friday turned
down the use of a Rolls Royce made available
for him by the Nigerian High Commission in
London......


Buhari shocked officials of the High
Commission when, on landing at the Heathrow
Airport, he declined to make use of the Rolls
Royce and other facilities offered him.

The Nation gathered that after exchanging
pleasantries with the embassy officials led by
the High Commissioner, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, the
president-elect politely told them that his visit
was strictly private and he had made
arrangement for all his needs while in the UK.
He reportedly thanked them for the warm
reception and quickly hopped into a less
flamboyant car he had arranged for and drove
out of the airport.

A source said: “It appeared he was
uncomfortable with the number of exotic cars
in the convoy.

“Hard as the stunned diplomats present tried
to convince him, he refused to bulge, insisting
that since he did not inform the Commission of
his visit because it was not an official trip,
hence he was not entitled to such grandeur.”
Buhari, yesterday, held talks with British Prime
Minister David Cameron at his 10, Downing
Street official residence.

Top of their discussion was the continued
threat to Nigeria’s security by the terror group,
Boko Haram.

The official website of the UK government said
after the talks that “both leaders congratulated
each other on their recent election victories
and discussed the challenges facing Nigeria.”
It added: “the Prime Minister stressed the UK’s
wish to work for a stable, prosperous and
secure Nigeria.

“The leaders discussed security in the region
and the fight against terrorism, particularly the
threat posed by Boko Haram.

“They discussed the need for a regional
approach and agreed to continue working
together to build the capacity of the Nigerian
Army, with the UK continuing to provide
military training and intelligence support.
“On tackling corruption, they agreed this was a
priority to ensure Nigeria’s prosperity and
success.”

Mr. Cameron was said to have agreed to look at
what technical assistance and support the UK
could provide to the Nigerian government as it
looks to undertake its reforms.

“They also discussed the need to tackle
organised crime and the links between the UK
and Nigeria.

“Finally, they talked about the challenges posed
by migration from Africa to Europe and the
president-elect said he would do all he could to
secure Nigeria’s borders,” the statement said.