Nigeria can learn from UK’s business environment – Osinbajo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria can benefit from the UK in its ongoing reform of the business environment by learning from how the British resolved similar challenges.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Thursday, said the Vice President stated this when he met with the UK’s Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Alok Sharma, in Abuja.

According to Osinbajo, one of the critical issues with the ease of doing business is with respect to the registration of property and how the process is long drawn.

He said that while states like Lagos and Kano had done well with issues around land registration, there were still some outstanding issues where the UK and Nigeria could collaborate.

Osinbajo said that one of the ways by which Nigeria could get some help was in the whole land registry concept.

He recalled that Lagos actually had such collaboration when he served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state.

“UK gave us quite a bit of help in establishing what was used in Lagos State land registry years ago.

“Every state has its own peculiar issues and challenges. How to document across the various states is what is now posing a challenge,” he said.

Osinbajo also explained the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), adding that the federal and state governments decided on ranching as an option for livestock breeding.

He said that states would determine the implementation methods in their respective states, both the federal and state governments would share the costs.

Earlier in his remarks, Sharma commended Osinbajo for his role in driving the ease of doing business reforms.

He commended the country for moving up 24 places in the World Bank ease of doing business ranking.

On the specific issue of land registry, he said that the process was simplified in the UK through the use of technology.