Canada Pledge Support To Nigeria In Combating Boko Haram
https://nigeriaafrica1.blogspot.com/2012/10/canada-pledge-support-to-nigeria-in.html
Islamist insurgents behind a wave of attacks in Nigeria have used a "warped reading of religion" to justify their violence, Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird said on a visit here Tuesday.
He pledged Canada's support in combating "the scourge of terrorism" on his one-day trip to Africa's most populous country and largest oil producer, which also aimed to boost trade tries.
"Sadly, Nigeria is dealing with a deadly insurgency by radical extremists in the north who are bent on using a warped reading of religion as a pretext for cowardly violence," he said.
Boko Haram Islamists are blamed for killing more than 1,400 people in Nigeria since 2010. The group has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north.
Baird described Nigeria's economy as "booming" and said Canadian firms had identified opportunities now available in the Nigerian market.
Nigeria has seen GDP growth of around seven percent in recent years, though economists warn it is not enough to result in the kind of development needed in the country sorely lacking infrastructure and where most people still live off of $2 per day.
In July, Manitoba Hydro International, which is tied to a Canadian provincial government, signed a $23 million (18 million euros) deal to provide technical expertise in Nigeria's bid to overhaul its power transmission system.
President Goodluck Jonathan has laid out plans to privatise electricity production and distribution in Nigeria, where electricity blackouts occur daily.
"Sadly, Nigeria is dealing with a deadly insurgency by radical extremists in the north who are bent on using a warped reading of religion as a pretext for cowardly violence," he said.
Boko Haram Islamists are blamed for killing more than 1,400 people in Nigeria since 2010. The group has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north.
Baird described Nigeria's economy as "booming" and said Canadian firms had identified opportunities now available in the Nigerian market.
Nigeria has seen GDP growth of around seven percent in recent years, though economists warn it is not enough to result in the kind of development needed in the country sorely lacking infrastructure and where most people still live off of $2 per day.
In July, Manitoba Hydro International, which is tied to a Canadian provincial government, signed a $23 million (18 million euros) deal to provide technical expertise in Nigeria's bid to overhaul its power transmission system.
President Goodluck Jonathan has laid out plans to privatise electricity production and distribution in Nigeria, where electricity blackouts occur daily.
