Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 20
Seventh Report - Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review
Published 29 Apr 2022
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee Implementing the Integrated Review in Nigeria All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Integrated Review defines the aspirations for Global Britain as being a force for good that supports open societies and defends human rights. We recognise that the understanding of these is one that is shared by the Buhari Government, which 42 Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review has committed to improving Nigeria’s human rights record. We have received evidence that there are still concerns from civil society that abuses and inaction by Government forces constitute a concern for the upholding of human rights. Within Nigerian society there are still concerning allegations of human rights abuses against minority groups, control of the media, and citizen surveillance. We welcome the UK Government’s efforts to support the Nigerian Government as they address these issues and in practice recommend this should mean the following: a) Ring-fencing support to projects that assist the Nigerian Government in its efforts to promote human rights; and speaking out when rights are abused. b) The integrated delivery plan should include concrete steps for how the UK Government will support the Nigerian Government in promoting freedom of religion and belief, as well as preventing violence against women and girls, across their engagement activities in Nigeria.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review (HC 202), 29 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 July 2022 (deadline 29 June 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government partially agrees with the Committee's recommendation on a Nigeria delivery plan, stating that it does "not agree that we should publish a new integrated delivery plan within the next six months".
- The Government says an internal cross-government strategy already runs to 2023 and that it "will therefore look to refresh" it after the election, and will run a "light touch process" to develop One-HMG country plans "in due course".
- On the Benin Bronzes and colonial legacy it agrees with the recommendation, noting that museums operate independently of Government and decisions on collections are taken by each institution's trustees.
- It does not agree to quotas for the Nigerian civil service in skills programming, and does not agree to ring-fence support to human rights projects or British Council programming.
- It will continue funding the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub for 2022-23, and "potentially" to March 2025, "subject to final ODA allocations".