Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said yesterday that the international community is standing sol¬idly behind the President-elect, General Muham¬madu Buhari, and the Vice presiden-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
The assurance came as for¬mer governor of Bayelsa State and chairman of All Progres¬sives Congress (APC) Inau¬guration Committee, Chief Timipre Sylva, declared that Nigeria could not afford a flamboyant transition pro¬gramme.
Speaking after a meeting with Buhari, Blair said Nigeria has earned the respect of the whole world by the peaceful manner she conducted her gen¬eral elections.
The former prime minister said: “There is enormous sup¬port for Nigeria now in the international community. The support takes into consider¬ation the challenges that lie ahead and there is great confi¬dence in the country.
“This is an election, which took place in a way, which the country showed the majority of democracies the spirit and character of its people and in the president-elect and vice president-elect. It is a leader¬ship that I know is determined to do its best for the country.
“Obviously, the future and destiny of Nigeria lie in the hand of its people. I just want to say to the president-elect that there is tremendous support for you and the country at this mo¬ment and all of us, in whatever way we can, stand ready to support you and help you.”
Responding, Buhari noted that at a meeting, “the issue of how Britain and the United States helped us in making sure that we conduct ourselves ac¬cording to our constitution” were discussed and we thank them for their efforts at ensur¬ing that the will of the people triumphed.
“The fact that it has been so successful is a major relief for us and to all people of con¬science throughout the world. I thank the former British prime minister for his concern for Ni¬geria and Nigerians, in what he is prepared to do by continuing to help us as a country and as a people.”
Meanwhile, Timipre Sylva has revealed that the country is not presently buoyant to have a flamboyant handover cere¬mony due to economic crunch facing the country.
-Sun
