President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday sought the assistance of Germany and the United Nations in tackling the insecurity in some parts of Nigeria orchestrated by the activities of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
Jonathan made the appeal at a joint press conference he held with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, shortly after a bilateral talk between the two leaders in Berlin.
He is currently on a three-day state visit to Germany.
Specifically, Jonathan wants Germany to assist Nigeria with technology to improve its security architecture in order to tackle the sect.
He said, “The area we expect our development partners especially countries like Germany to help is in terms of our security architecture, training and providing us with some modern equipment.
“You have to fight terrorists with technology because terrorists do not need to come with a rifle and and you confront them one-on-one.
“They will surprise you; they will not come to engage you except to defend themselves occasionally. So, you must have superior technology to monitor them and know how you can relate with them.
“And these are the areas we believe that countries like Germany and others and even the United Nations can assist us.”
Jonathan assured would-be foreign investors in Nigeria of the safety of their lives and property in the country despite the activities of the sect, saying his administration is on top of the security situation.
“Nigeria is still safe for investment. Nigeria is one country where investment returns are quite high and where we believe in the rule of law,” he said.
He faulted media reports that portend the whole of the country as unsafe, saying their activities are restricted to a few states in the Northern part of the country.
He said, “As a nation, we have security challenges because most investors talk about security. At present, we have the local terrorist group code named Boko Haram.
“From publications on this terrorist group, it paints a very gloomy picture as if the whole country is in tatters. These terrorists operate in some states in then North-East part of the country but go into other states from time to time.
“But what I can assure the global community especially our investors from Germany, is that government is working very hard to bring it under control.”
Merkel promised Germany’s resolve to work with the Nigerian government to bring the security situation under control.
According to her, the newly established bilateral commission between Germany and Nigeria should be able to discuss the issue with the aim of coming up with greater details of the areas where Nigeria may need help.
She said, “But I think what is most important is the resolve of the Nigerian government to deal with such a group and to remain on top of the situation and protect the peace loving people of Nigeria who suffer most from such attacks.”
-Punch
