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Brexit: Buhari regrets British PM Cameron’s resignation; commends his ‘courage, respect for will of the people’
It would be recalled that Cameron, announced his resignation from office, Friday morning, which according to him, takes effect from October, this year.
Cameron said his decision comes as Britons ignored his pleas to stay in the European Union and voted in a referendum to leave.
President Buhari said Nigeria has enjoyed remarkable goodwill, support and understanding under the capable leadership of the outgoing Prime Minister over the years.
Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said Cameron’s resignation in response to the outcome of a referendum that supported Britain to leave the European Union “was a demonstration of courage by a democratic leader who respects the will of the people, even if he didn’t agree with their decision.”
President Buhari noted that by ‘‘putting the will of the people before his political future, the Prime Minister proved himself to be a selfless leader with respect for democracy and voters’ sovereignty.’’
He expressed hope that Nigeria looks forward to greater cooperation and consolidation of shared interests with Britain, despite the outcome of the referendum.
Announcing his resignation outside his office, Friday morning, PM Cameron, said his decision was the right thing action to take even as he noted that the outcome of the referendum was not as he had expected.
Cameron said Britons ignored his pleas to stay in the European Union and voted in a referendum to leave after 43 years of membership.
“I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” Cameron told reporters on Friday outside his Downing Street office.
Cameron, who choked back tears, gave no detailed timetable but said there should be a new leader by the time his Conservative Party holds its annual conference in October.
“This is not a decision I’ve taken lightly but I do believe it is in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required.
“A negotiation with the European Union will need to begin under a new prime minister, and I think it is right that this new prime minister takes the decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal and legal process of leaving the E.U.
“I will attend the European Council next week to explain the decision the British people have taken and my own decision.
“The British people have made a choice. That not only needs to be respected — but those on the losing side of the argument, myself included, should help to make it work.
“Britain is a special country. We have so many great advantages.
“A parliamentary democracy where we resolve great issues about our future through peaceful debate.
A great trading nation, with our science and arts, our engineering and our creativity respected the world over.
“And while we are not perfect, I do believe we can be a model of a multiracial, multifaith democracy, where people can come and make a contribution and rise to the very highest that their talent allows.
Although leaving Europe was not the path I recommended, I am the first to praise our incredible strengths.
“I have said before that Britain can survive outside the European Union, and indeed that we could find a way.
“Now the decision has been made to leave, we need to find the best way. And I will do everything I can to help.
“I love this country — and I feel honored to have served it. And I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed,” Cameron said.
On the eve of the vote, most late polls showed the Remain side edging ahead. Late Thursday, the market research company YouGov put Remain up by 52 percent to 48 percent. As the voting ended on Thursday, Ipsos-Mori, another leading polling company, gave Remain an eight-percentage-point lead over the Leave side.
An age breakdown of the EU Referendum polling shows young voters overwhelmingly supported Remain while older people backed Brexit, leading to claims that baby boomers were “screwing the younger generations over yet again”.
75% of people aged 18-24 claimed they voted for Remain in the YouGov survey after voting closed, a figure that falls as age increases.
In comparison, just 39% of those aged 65 and over backed a vote to stay, causing commenters to say it was “infuriating” that “young people.. have a future without the EU and it’s one they don’t want”.
On the global markets, the vote sent the Pound Sterling on a record plunge and pummelling equities across the world.
The pound sterling fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.
The referendum turnout was 71.8% – with more than 30 million people voting – the highest turnout at a UK election since 1992.
Wales and the majority of England outside London voted in large numbers for Brexit.
Also reacting, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), has said that Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) will have negative consequences on Nigeria.
Akinterinwa, a professor of international affairs, Friday, said the negative impact of Britain’s exit from the union would be bilaterally and multilaterally.
According to him, it is at the level of multilateral configuration that Nigeria may be slightly affected.
“Britain is a member of the EU and Nigeria is a member of Commonwealth and in this case, Britain is both an active member of the EU and Commonwealth.
“Nigeria has been benefitting from the free trade tariff access of the British to the EU; now with the Brexit (Britain Exit), that one (free trade tariff access) may become a little bit difficult for Nigeria,” he said.
Akinterinwa said that Nigeria’s economic relationship with the EU might also be affected with the development, explaining that it would jeopardise Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU.
“With the withdrawal of the British from the EU, now the EPA will no longer apply to Nigeria within the framework of Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with the British,” he said.
Politically, he stated that a weakened Europe would also affect Nigeria in terms of aid donation to the country.
“Politically, Brexit can bring about a weakened economy of Europe; it will be weakened in various respects because Britain accounts for about 15 per cent of EU’s operational budget.
“This will create more burdens for countries like France and Germany, the two main countries carrying the financial burden of other member-states.
“With that relationship with the European Union, the other members will also be weakened.
“When it comes to insolvency, the amount of money given to Nigeria either as development grant or whatsoever, cannot but be reduced. So, these are some of the implications,” he said.
Akinterinwa added that Brexit could also affect Nigeria’s and ECOWAS’ relationship with the EU.
According to him, since Britain is not part of the Schengen Visa Regime, anyone going to Britain must apply for visa directly for Britain.
“Since the purpose for withdrawing from the EU is to emphasise British sovereignty, the British will now be in a better position to deal with international migrants in its context.
“There are three million migrants in the UK, while we talk about 1.2 million Britons living in the other parts of Europe.
“In this case, the issue of migration becomes an important matter on the strategic calculations of the government.
“It means that the immigrants are likely to cut a rough deal; they are not likely to be given the type of accommodation they currently have.
“The UK border will now be in a better position to control the inflow and outflow of tourists to the UK,” he explained.
Akinterinwa, however, said that with the Brexit already hurting the Pound Sterling and the Euro, it was positive for Nigeria.
“With the Brexit, the Pound Sterling has fallen as against the U.S. Dollar; the Euro too has also fallen.
“Investors, immediately, for fear of the unknown began to move their investments thinking of relocation and that immediately affected the value of the Pound and it began to fall.
“So, the parity of the Naira to the Pound Sterling, if the Pound Sterling is falling, is good for Nigeria; it is a welcome development at that level,” he said.
London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the Remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England.
United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, who has campaigned for the past 20 years for Britain to leave the EU, told cheering supporters “this will be a victory for ordinary people, for decent people”.
However, Mr Dapo Adelegan, President, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), maintained that the exit of Britain from European Union (EU) will not have short term effects on Nigeria’s economy.
Adelegan made the assertion in an interview on the possible effects of the development on Nigeria and even Africa with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
According to him, the existence of different trade agreements between Nigeria and European countries that trade directly with the country will prevent a short term impact of the Brexit on the economy.
He said: “We sell directly to these countries and they also buy from us; I do not see a short term impact of the exit on Nigeria’s economy.’’
Brexit is an abbreviation for “British exit’’ which refers to the possibility of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
The British people voted for Britain’s exit from the EU in a historic referendum on June 23, which outcome caused David Cameron to resign as Prime Minister.
Adelegan said the referendum, won by two per cent, showed it was a close decision and that Britain was equally divided between those that wanted to remain and those that wanted to go.
“So, it cannot be seen as a total victory for the Brexit.
“If half of the population wants to remain and half says go, it means that there will be internal political repercussions within Britain’s political environment.
“It may even lead to further referendum in years to come because the new government that will succeed David Cameron will have to win back majority of the people that wanted to remain to buy into the exit posture.’’
On the economic side, Adelegan said that the exit would diminish British role as the gateway to Europe in terms of business opportunities and global travel.
“Institutions that have invested in the U.K. as a channel to offer products and services to other parts of Europe, this exit will deny them that access.
“A market of about 500 million consumers reduced to about 65 million will require a rethink of strategy by global companies.
“We may begin to see the movement of global companies to Switzerland and Germany in the next few months,’’ Adelegan said.
He added that the exit would also affect the value of the British currency against the dollar and the euro.
Nigeria is Britain’s second largest trading partner in Africa with a trade volume which currently stands at six billion pounds (about N2.48 trillion).
The referendum, it would be recalled, was Cameron’s to the British electorate as part of his 2015 re-election campaign.
Cameron complained that the bloc has evolved gradually into a powerful bureaucracy that infringes on British sovereignty and its national interests on issues such as trade, immigration, financial and labour regulation and social spending.
Cameron recently won concessions from the EU to give Britain more say over these issues and he now favours continued membership in the bloc.
However, many members of his Conservative Party oppose his position and are campaigning for a Brexit. The anti-immigration, anti-EU UK Independence Party, which has gained support because of a backlash against Muslim migrants entering Britain, also is campaigning for a Brexit.
