Emmanuel Onwubiko: What Liz Truss can bring to Nigeria

Britain will know in the next few hours who the British monarch the Queen of England has chosen as head of government as prime minister to succeed former prime minister Boris Johnson who resigned following a a series of scandals that followed his government.

But on Monday, September 5, 2022, it became crystal clear that the next Prime Minister is the new leader of Britain's ruling party known as the Conservative Party in the person of Liz Truss.

She won 57% of the votes of Conservative party members, against 43% for opponent Rishi Sunak, a narrower margin of victory than expected, according to the American television channel Cable News Network.

As soon as she was announced victorious, the beautiful and delightful politician Mrs. Truss immediately sent out a clear and unequivocal signal to tackle the most pressing economic problem facing the majority of her country's struggling population, namely the growing energy bill.< /p>

She today pledged to 'respond to the energy crisis' by taking care of bills as well as supplies, BBC economics and policy editors report. The broadcast station revealed that a freeze on energy bills would be one of several options being considered in Whitehall to help struggling households cope with soaring gas and electricity prices.

So it can be said that she literally jumped on her job with a clear mind and a workable agenda on the steps and policies to be implemented in the short, medium and long term to reduce the biting effects of the cost of lives of the millions of Britons.

In this brief reflection, we will dwell briefly on his expected policies, but focus on how some of his foreign and development policies as Prime Minister of Britain can and will impact Nigeria and Nigerians. Understandably, Nigerians with little appreciation of world politics may really not understand why this reflection is necessary.

So if you are still imagining why Nigerians should care who emerges as Britain's leader, then just remember that the politicians jostling for seats in the upcoming poll of Nigeria in 2023 have upped the ante when it comes to holding consultations inside Britain and specifically in the British capital of London.

All the major contenders for Nigeria's next president have continued to hold consultative meetings in London. Also, London is the tourist destination of choice for the majority of Nigerians and don't forget that we got our independence from the flag of Great Britain in 1960 and ironically it was the same Queen Elizabeth the second who brought us handed over the green white green flag signifying politics or the independence of the flag which will inevitably herald Liz Truss as British Prime Minister in half a dozen hours.

Having said that, it is therefore imperative that we read the mind of the emerging British Prime Minister so that we can hazard a guess regarding key areas where his policies could affect us positively or negatively. Nigeria will certainly be affected in key areas of immigration and security assistance, as Nigerians make up the largest percentage of black people in the world traveling to Britain as tourists or residents. Nigerian politicians have been sending their children to schools in Britain for years and lately Britain has been the most attractive destination for our doctors as thousands of Nigerian doctors have just been licensed by the British National Health Service to work in Britain. So if Britain coughs, Nigeria inevitably catches a cold.

The former immigration prime minister has tightened policy to make it difficult for migrants to gain asylum in Britain. Under Boris Johnson, Britain struck a deal with Rwanda to resettle asylum seekers who emigrate to Britain illegally. Boris Johnson has also made bold claims regarding the amount of foreign defense aid Nigeria has secured. We will come back to think about it. But first, what are the main political plans of this new British Prime Minister, Mrs Liz Truss? Below is a summary of what his policies may be based on ideologically, as a British Guardian report shows.

In the area of ​​taxation and the cost of living, Guardian says Truss's clear economic priority is to cut taxes, a move it says will revive a stalled economy and help people whose energy bills go up. She has promised to reverse the recent increase in National Insurance and cancel a planned rise in corporation tax, at a combined cost of around £30billion a year. The Truss team also floated the idea of ​​reducing VAT by 5% or reducing income tax to help household budgets.

While Truss has said her plans will be funded through fiscal space and delay repayment of Covid-related debts, critics have argued that she will have to borrow debt...