Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on Thursday, declared he felt “perfectly safe” during his visit to Nigeria, dismissing negative security reports that had preceded his trip to Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Johnson made the statement while delivering the keynote address 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.
His call came amidst abduction and gun attacks in some parts of the country.
President Bola Tinubu recently declared a security emergency in the country, following a series of abductions, including the mass abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi and Niger states and the raid of Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State, where 38 members were abducted and three others killed.
On December 31, 2025, President Donald Trump of the United States designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” following what he termed Christian persecution and killings.
Johnson, however, said that with what he had seen, he felt safe in Imo State.
The former prime minister said he was excited when Uzodimma invited him to the state for the summit.
He commended the governor for his push to provide 24-hour electricity in the state, as part of efforts to drive economic growth.
According to him, Artificial Intelligence would play a critical role in helping the governor realise that plan.
“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.
Johnson recalled that Nigeria and Britain share deep historic and cultural ties, strengthened by continuous exchanges of skilled professionals.
