Nigeria’s global influence will grow in coming years – United Kingdom (UK) Envoy

Nigeria’s global influence will grow in coming years – United Kingdom (UK) Envoy

Nigeria’s growing demographic strength and strategic relevance will make its global influence increasingly significant in the decades ahead, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, has said.

He stressed that peace, resilience and strong institutions remain at the heart of the United Kingdom’s engagement with the country.

Montgomery spoke in Abuja at the inaugural Annual Learning and Adaptation Event of the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme, which convened senior government officials, security agencies, development partners and civil society actors to review efforts aimed at reducing violence and building climate resilience in northern Nigeria.

He said Nigeria’s expanding population and rising international profile informed the UK–Nigeria Strategic Partnership signed in 2024, adding that stability is essential to sustaining the country’s future influence.

“Nigeria is one of our important diplomatic partners. The judgment that we make, and our ministers make, is that Nigeria’s influence will only grow. If it grows very fast, and you’re becoming a bigger population, the importance and influence of Nigeria is going to grow in the decades ahead,” Montgomery said.

According to him, peace and resilience are “absolutely central” to bilateral relations, particularly in light of current security challenges and global attention on Nigeria, making sustained investment in stability both relevant and urgent.

The two-day SPRiNG forum focused on assessing evidence-based approaches to conflict prevention, strengthening institutional peace mechanisms and adapting responses to evolving security and climate-related risks. The programme is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Montgomery explained that the UK–Nigeria security and defence dialogue covers both kinetic and non-kinetic measures, with emphasis on institutional capacity, community-based initiatives, law enforcement cooperation and grassroots resilience.

“It’s about providing institutional support to the official agencies of the federal government of Nigeria. It’s about building community-based initiatives, law enforcement, and community resilience,” he said, describing SPRiNG as “a vehicle, a platform” for partnerships that can deliver long-term stability.

The event also featured remarks from a representative of the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Major General A.G. Laka, while the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, formally declared the forum open through a representative, underscoring the importance of strategic communication and inter-agency collaboration.

Representatives of the Ministers of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, and Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, highlighted the connections between gender inclusion, agropastoral livelihoods and security, noting that social and economic policies are critical to peacebuilding.

Providing context for the programme, SPRiNG Team Leader, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, said its approach is grounded in evidence and adaptive management, recognising the evolving nature of conflict.

“Conflict is dynamic; our solutions must be too. Today was about validating the evidence and impacts of our intervention, learning from what, where and how we are making progress, and ensuring that our support to government and civil society partners is not just reactive, but structurally preventive,” Ukiwo said.

A high-level panel moderated by Kemi Okenyedo reviewed progress and emerging opportunities in strengthening peace and resilience. Panelists included the Director-General of the Benue State Commission for Peace and Reconciliation, Ms. Josephine Habba; the Commissioner for Internal Security in Kaduna State, Dr. Sulaiman Shuaibu; and Ms. Lantana Abdullahi of WOPPI, who advocated the formal inclusion of women in peace and security structures.

The forum concluded with a Project Fair, where stakeholders interacted with beneficiaries and implementing partners to assess the tangible “peace dividend” being delivered in Benue, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau states.

The SPRiNG Programme is a four-year initiative running from 2024 to 2028 and is implemented by Tetra Tech International Development in partnership with Nextier SPD, the Centre for Democracy and Development and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. It aims to strengthen institutional capacity for conflict management, enhance public confidence in key institutions and create stronger incentives for peace across Nigeria.