Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he feels completely safe in Nigeria, countering negative reports he had read before his visit to the country.
Johnson stated this on Thursday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, while delivering a keynote speech at the Imo State Economic Summit 2025 hosted by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
“I want you to know that when I decided to come to Owerri, I read some things, and there were people saying, ‘There may be some security problems in Nigeria.’ Have you heard that? And I said, ‘Well, I am going to go anyway.’
“And let me ask you: do you feel safe here today in this conference? Yes, we all feel safe. And I feel perfectly safe. Thank you, Governor, for what you are doing,” Johnson said.
He commended Governor Uzodimma for his push to deliver 24-hour electricity across Imo State as part of broader efforts to drive economic transformation.
According to Johnson, Artificial Intelligence will play a major role in achieving that vision, describing AI as a key driver of future energy solutions.
“Your focus on electricity is completely right. What is the future? The future is AI. For clean, sustainable electricity—and because of AI—it’s going to be colossal. I congratulate you for what you are doing to secure clean and sustainable power for Imo State and for the whole of Nigeria,” he said.
The former UK prime minister also highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between Nigeria and Britain, strengthened, he said, by the ongoing exchange of skilled professionals.
“I am very proud of what we export to Nigeria. We send you pharmaceuticals, bankers, services of all kinds, automotive parts. And you send us so much in return—oil and gas, Nollywood movies, brilliant doctors, nurses, technicians, and tech geniuses from Nigeria. We are very, very grateful.
“We send you former United Kingdom prime ministers, and you send us future United Kingdom prime ministers in the form of Kemi Badenoch,” Johnson added.
Vice President Kashim Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the summit. Other dignitaries in attendance included former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; several state governors; and other high-profile guests.
