The Newcastle on Tyne Central MP is a pro-European and wants the UK to remain inside the EU. She met Nigeria's President Muhammadu during a recent fact finding tour when PMB told her he wanted to see a strong UK inside the EU because he wants Nigeria to have access to a marketplace of 500m people and not just the 60m the UK can offer.
"President Buhari wants to see a strong UK inside the EU," said Ms Onwurah.
She said Nigeria's position had been confirmed last week on a visit to the UK by the President's special assistant on foreign and diaspora affairs Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
However, the analysis was disputed by pro-Brexit Vote Leave campaigner James Cleverly MP. The MP for Braintree said the EU through subsidies penalised Africa.
"Our taxpayers money is being used to subsidise the richest economies and companies to penalise the poorest," he said.
By way of example he cited coffee. Last year Africa as a whole made $2.4bn from coffee as a crop. Germany, meanwhile, made $3.8bn. He said this was because import tariffs are imposed on processed chocolate and coffee products.
"So the EU penalises Africa for trying to industrialise," he said. As a result the EU buys the raw materials and capitalises from processing it.
For a full report on the Brexit debate, don't miss Nigerian Watch, out June 3. To receive a digital edition of Nigerian Watch, subscribe here, http://ift.tt/1TYhHc1
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