U.K. Appoints First Female High Commissioner To Nigeria

—Naija No Dey Carry Last, Says Ambassador

Tayo Olanipekun

The United Kingdom has appointed its first female High Commissioner to Nigeria.

Catriona Laing (CB),who is to assume office this week, has also spoken about her excitement over the new posting, saying she could not wait to experience all the beautiful things her predecessor,Paul Arkwright, spoke of about the country.

She said the outgone High Commissioner told her how fantastic the country is as well as “the diverse beautiful culture and the vivacity” of Nigerians.

“I can’t wait to get started. I know there’s a lot to learn, but I’ll catch up fast, as they say, Naija no dey carry last,” said Laing.

Her appointment came about two years a first female Deputy British High Commissioner, Laurie Beaufils, was also appointed to head the Mission in Lagos.

A statement from the British High Commission in Nigeria said “it’s an exciting time for us as we look forward to welcoming the newly appointed High Commissioner.”

The CB that suffixes Catriona’s name shows she is a Companion of the Order of the Bath, an order of Chivalry created by King George I in 1725,according to the statement.

Laing was awarded the honour by Her Majesty the Queen of England in 2012, while serving as International Director at the UK’s Ministry of Justice.

She has also been celebrated recently by the head of Foreign Office, Sir Simon McDonald, for being the first female High Commissioner to Nigeria, one of the UK’s top ambassadorial posts.

An alumna of London School of Economics, Ms. Laing obtained her MSc in Economics in 1986, before achieving her MBA at Cranfield School of Management in 1995.

She began her career in 1986 as a Planning Officer at the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications in Botswana.

After seven foreign postings, she headed the European Union and International Economics Policy Department in the Department For International Development (DFID) UK.

In 2014, Laing was appointed Ambassador to Zimbabwe.

She also volunteered to lead the UN Development office in Somalia in 1993.

“It was scary and very tough. That mission ultimately failed, but it gave me real on-the-ground practical experience. It was massively life-changing,” she said of that assignment.