Nigeria, still one of the safest countries in the world –Uhomoibhi 

Dr Martin Uhomoibhi

Nigeria, still one of the safest countries in the world –Uhomoibhi 
Ngozi John-Anigbogu, Abuja

 
Nigeria is one of the safest countries in the world despite the current security challenges the country faces. This is the submission of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Martin Uhomoibhi.

Dr Uhomoibhi who was speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Nigerian Capital, assured the international community that the Nigerian government was doing something to solve the security problem, though it might take some time.

"Until this nonsense started, this new version of security challenge that we have, you could travel from Lagos to Maiduguri, you will not find one police man on the road and you travel safely, give me another country in this part of the world where that happens. But now that Nigeria has realized that there are real challenges, I believe that it will take some time for the consciousness to result in concrete actions but things are being done.’’                   

He stressed that Nigeria was a peace loving nation capable of defeating terrorism.

"This country has done nothing else but good to the outside world since it was created as a nation in 1960. Nigeria is the fourth largest peacekeeper in the world and most consistently the largest peacekeeper in the African continent. This is a nation of peace, that has preached peace and that has defended peace at all cost. Now it is realizing that there are others that did not mean well for her, it is a hard lesson, but I am sure that Nigeria is capable of defeating terrorism,” the Minister said.

Dr Uhomoibhi said that Nigeria believes in the rule of law even in its fight against terrorism and anyone suspected to be guilty of the crime of terrorism, when identified, will be tried before being punished as is the process.

On Christmas Day, an Islamist terrorist sect in Nigeria, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Catholic Church in Madalla , Niger State, about forty kilometers to Nigeria ’s capital city, Abuja and two others in Jos and Damaturu all in Northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram had also said it was responsible for the August 26 terrorist attack on the UN building in Abuja.

Cokey