PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan insisted yesterday that Nigeria was safe for foreign investors, while calling for Western logistical help to combat the Boko Haram sect.

“We are building up our security infrastructure. I can say we are on top of this problem,” Jonathan told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin after talks that focused on trade, energy and security issues.

Asked what kind of assistance Germany could provide, he said: “In areas of training manpower and modern equipment. You need superior technology to fight terrorists and we think Germany and others can help us in such areas.

“I can assure the global community, especially investors from Germany, that the government is working very hard to bring this problem under control. 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.”

With 70 per cent of its population below the age of 35, Nigeria offers a vibrant market for investors, he added.

In her response, Merkel said Germany stood ready to provide logistical and other support in the fight against Boko Haram. She also urged Jonathan to provide a better business climate in Nigeria.

Jonathan’s delegation to Berlin included business leaders and state governors. Among deals signed was one with German engineering conglomerate Siemens on producing small and medium-sized turbines in Nigeria for the African market.

Meanwhile, drawing from the safety issues raised as a result of the Japan nuclear power disaster, Germany is washing its hands off future nuclear power projects.

In fact, the country, according to its Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Dorothee Janetzke-Wenzel, has commenced the process of phasing out nuclear power generation.

Speaking on President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to her country, she stressed that Nigeria and German would this year seal a deal on renewable energy. She stressed that there was a huge potential for solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy in Nigeria, stressing that if utilized, Nigeria’s power problems would be a thing of the past.

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