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2. Distinguished lsdies and Gentlemen,
Let me thank you all for your gracious presence on this occasion,
marking Nigeria's 5l"t lndependence celebration as a sovereign
country. lndeed, our great country has recorded significant milestones
in building a united, virile, stable, progressive and responsive nation, as
well as on other fecets of socio-economic life, having travelled a long
and winding road of pains and gains.
2. United in diversity, with over 25O ethnic groups and a population
of over 152 million people, Nigeria is the 8th rnost populous country in
the world. lt is Africa's second biggest econorny with a GDP of over
slsl.z billion and an economic growth rate that aggregates over 696 in
the past flve years. lt is the 8th biggest producer of oil in the world and
holds the 8th largest ges reserves in the world of 186 trillion cubit feet.
3. The Government of President Jonathan has embarked on a
Transformational Agenda for the comprehensive development of the
country, within the conte)ft of the Vision 2020, aimed at making Nigeria
one of the biggest economies by year 2020. Emphasis is placed on
priority ereas of the economy including; electricity generation,
infrastructural development, agriculture, oil and gas, transportation,
employment creation, education and health.
4. Nigeria is a liberal multi-party democracy, with a Presidential
system of government. lt held one of its most successful presidential
elections in April this yeer. The Government is committed to
democracy, rule of law and good governance, and stands ready to

3. continue to address the country's socio-economic problems. To this
end, the contributions of our development partners including
governments and the Private Sector are welcome.
5. ln particular, the Private Sector has a special role to play in this
regard as the engine of economic growth and development. ln the
words of President Jonathan: 'We intend to build a better Nigeria
through human capital and infrastructural development and increased
partnership with the Private Sector, creating a level playing field
necessary for foreign investors to come to Nigeria to do business'.
5. Bilaterally, the United States rernains a dependable ally and a
strategic partner of Nigeria. The U. S. is Nigeria's largest trading partner
after the United Kingdom; and its largest expoft market. On the other
hand, Nigeria is the sth largest supplier of crude oil to the United States;
its largest recipient of Foreign Direct lnvestment from the Private
Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa; as well as a reliable collaborator on issues
of global peace and security.
7. lndeed, Nigeria is one of the biggest contributors to global peace
and security and the 4th largest troops contributing country for peace
operations of the United Nations. Nigeria would sustain its position es a
responsible rnember of the international community, specially
committed to the security and other concerns of its neighbouring
countries.
8. We express our gratitude to all of those who, one wey or another,
sympathized with us on the national tragedy of the recent terrorist
attack on the United Nations building in Abuja on August 26, this year.
Terrorisrn, an emergent scourge and threat to our civilization as well as
to universal values is evil, deserving total condemnation from all men of

4. conscience and goodwill. Nigeria would continue to welcome all
international assiEtance in its counterterrorism efforts, and collaborate
with the international cornmunity to fight this common threat to
international security and peace.
g. To the Nigerien Diaspora community, we say a big thank you for
your invaluable contributions to national development in such
important areas as fund remittances, education, health, skill
acguisitions, etc.
L0. Nevertheless, there is still a great deal to be done and I further
urge you to continue to put your hands to the plough and stand up to
the challenges of our common nationat destiny.
11. For those of you that supported and contributed to our
operations as a Consulate, please accept our sincere gratitude" lt is our
determination to improve our services for the good of our people as
well as for our friends and partners we serve.
L2. Thank you for your kind attention and God bless you,