Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised Nigeria for its significant contributions to global development, including sending ‘Oil and Gas, Nollywood Films, and Skilled Doctors’ to the United Kingdom (UK).
Johnson made the remarks at the 2025 Imo State Economic Summit held in Owerri, the state capital, on Thursday.
He highlighted the economic and cultural exchanges between the UK and Nigeria, noting that while Britain exports pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, and other goods, Nigeria provides “so much in return”, including oil and gas, Nollywood films, skilled doctors, nurses, technicians, and tech innovators.
“I will say nothing of those former colonies of France, but it’s wonderful; it’s absolutely wonderful that here in Nigeria, we are united, we have this huge blessing , ties of history and language and woven together constantly by the toing and froing of brilliant Nigerians to my country and back again, and British people are coming to Nigeria, and of course I’m proud, very proud,” Johnson said.
He also celebrated Nigeria’s influence on global leadership, saying: “We’re very grateful and honoured. And we send you former United Kingdom prime ministers, and you send us future United Kingdom prime ministers in the form of Kemi Badenoch, who comes from Nigeria and is doing better and better these days.
Read Also
READ ALSO: I Feel Perfectly Safe in Nigeria, Boris Johnson Dismisses Security Concerns
“And I think the greatest hope that we have, and not just the exports or the imports, is the things that we actually do together, the things that we do in partnership.”
Johnson further acknowledged Nigeria’s cultural and sporting impact worldwide: “And that there’s just so much, a Nigerian singer who stole the show in the recent coronation of our king, the Nigerian football players who have millions if not billions of fans in the Premier League and who have admirers around the world, Nigerian artists, there’s a huge Nigerian show on right now at Tate Modern, Anglo-Nigerian films that are being nominated for the Oscars.”
Reflecting on Imo State’s potential and Nigeria’s broader future, the former UK leader commended Governor Hope Uzodimma for initiatives in security and infrastructure, emphasizing the role of artificial intelligence in driving development.
“What is the future? It is AI. It’s gonna be AI; it’s artificial intelligence, and the demand for clean, sustainable electricity because of AI is going to be colossal.
“And so I congratulate you on what you’re doing to get clean, sustainable energy for Imo State and for the whole of Nigeria, and I hope, by the way, very much that British firms will see the opportunity here, as the Mauritian former president rightly added; it’s a very important opportunity,” he added.
The summit drew a global audience, including President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima; Liberian President Joseph Boakai; and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Other attendees included state governors, Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote, and former African Export–Import Bank president Benedict Oramah.
