Since Brexit, the UK has suffered some currency and economic crash but things seems to be picking up gradually under the leadership of Prime Minister, Theresa May.
In Lagos, Arkwright assured Nigerians at a roundtable organised for workers and business entrepreneurs.
He said that the target of the British Government was to grow its market, hence the Brexit decision.
According to him, relations between Nigeria and the UK will become stronger after exiting the EU.
He added that the British Government had decided to leave the EU and it would not renege its decision.
The envoy noted that the British Government would give priority to smooth transition that would minimise disruption and there would be no immediate changes to their relationship with the EU.
He added that “until we exit formally, UK will remain a member of the EU with all the rights and obligations of membership.”
Arkwright said the UK was working toward encouraging more businesses in Nigeria, and would invest and encourage more inward
investment into the UK from Nigeria.
The British Government was interested in Nigerians going to the UK to do business, study, visit families and invest in the economy.
“I don’t know if it will mean more Nigerians travelling to the UK but in 2014, 168,000 people applied for visas to the UK.
“70 per cent of those applications were successful and the visas granted within seven to 15 days from the date of application.
“Most people for some reason doubt this but it is true,’’ he said.
Arkwright then commended Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy from dependence on oil and gas to other areas.
He said the price of oil may increase but that the industry alone would not be able to support the need for jobs that Nigerians require.
“And that is why the UK Department for International Development is helping with the immediate needs of those in desperate circumstances in the North-East.
“We are also helping to diversify Nigeria’s industrial base and encourage entrepreneurship through improved education and skills training.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
