The President, Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
SOME PHOTOS below and CANUK Address at the foot of this page
Mr President at the Business Breakfast organised by the High Comm is association with Business in Africa and AfriRecruit and support by BEN TV
Mr President Speaks at the Business Breakfast
THE RECPTION AT ABUJA HOUSE...See below photos for text of speech
The Presidential Party at ABUJA HOUSE Arranged by the High Commission is Association with CANUK and BEN TV...Catering by ALALEKE
HE The High Commissioner - Dr Tafida OFR gives the welcome address
Mr PRESIDENT speaks to Nigerians in the UK at Abuja House Dr ABANI - CHAIR CANUK - GAVE THE UK ADDRESS TO MR PRESIDENT - See Speech below
Mr President speaks to NIGERIANS
A short address by Dr Mark Abani, Chair of CANUK,
on the occasion of the official reception in the UK for
His Excellency, Mr Umaru Musa Yar’Adua,
The President, Commander in Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Mr President, first and foremost a warm Nigerian welcome to the UK to both you and your wife (Her Excellency Hajia Turai Yar’Adua). It is with great pride and pleasure that I stand here today to say a few words on behalf of the very many Nigerians who live and work in the UK. Though some less optimistic sources put the numbers in the high hundreds of thousands other better informed sources say up to 2% of the UK population are Nigerians or of Nigerian origin.
Mr President, it is with great satisfaction that I can inform you that regardless, of the true number, your compatriots and citizens, we Nigerians, play a key and significant role in making sure that the UK is a successful country. Indeed I always say that our DNA is Nigerian, and that here in the UK the letters DNA stand for ‘Diaspora Nigerians [are] Achievers’. We have a Nigerian in the House of Lords, Nigerians striving to be part of the UK legislative Houses, many Nigerians playing key roles in Local Government (as staff, Mayors and Councillors). We have Nigerians honoured for their contributions to education, leaders in the finance industry, key consultants in the National Health Service, in Engineering, in sports and in many other important roles; nurses, security, services and so on… All playing their part in an honest and upright way, bringing pride to Nigeria by their conduct.
Mr President, from the inception of your tenure you have made the rule of law paramount. We applaud this, for respect and obedience of the law is the basis of a fair and just society. In fact Mr President you have said that respect for ‘the rule of law is the basis of a civilised society’ for it governs all our actions and interactions. We respectfully agree and support this approach to restore respect from the very roots upwards thereby providing a framework for sanity and stability in Nigeria.
Living here in the UK we have also observed and applauded the plans you have laid out, drawing together the various programmes such as NEEDS and SEEDS, into the 7 plus 2 point agenda for taking Nigeria forward and making us relevant by the year 2020. On behalf of the Nigerians in the UK I can assure you that we are more than willing and able to play our part in realising the vision. We are pleased that your Government has already recognised the role those of us in the UK (and in Europe and America) can play by inviting us to be members of the Steering Committee of the National Vision 2020.
I can assure you that both the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation UK South (NIDO) are working together to ensure we engage all Nigerians in the UK and offer our Fatherland the best ideas and manpower that we have. Mr President, we hope that you will be able to attend our joint workshops and conferences themed ‘Mobilising Nigerians for Nigeria’ in support of the National Vision 2020 later this year.
Mr President, whilst I have the floor, may I take a moment to pass a few comments on a couple of the issues which we know are dear to your heart and that of your administration to illustrate ways we can work together for the benefit of Nigeria:
Power and Energy: You have rightly observed that this is the powerhouse needed to drive Nigeria forward. We know that you are painstakingly paving the way for root and branch reform in this area. Our Engineering Forum of Nigeria (UK) held a recent conference on this and you will be pleased to know that we have Nigerians keeping the power and energy sector vibrant in the UK. Nigerians who are also prepared to share their knowledge and expertise with Nigeria. We ask that your administration gives them a chance to actively play a part in modernising our Power and Energy sector.
Wealth Creation and Employment: Nigerians are entrepreneurs and in the UK they have behaved no differently. We have many Nigerian owned and run businesses from, media houses, TV stations (for example BEN TV set up by Alistair Soyode), through professional consultancy and service companies to the food catering (such as our caters today Vanessa Hospitality Service who also cater for all Hilton Hotels in the UK), food import and leisure industry. Nigerians providing valuable services and an important export route for Nigerian produce to sustain and encourage the growth of our agricultural base. However, we need the support of your Government to reduce and remove red-tape and ensure clear and transparent adherence to the rule of law so that we are respected internationally and able to share our knowledge with our Fatherland.
I could go on, health; law; accountancy; management expertise… but given time constraints I will pause… for I am hopeful that you will give us a chance to lay out our stall in full at a later date.
We also compliment your administration for recognising that the issues around the Niger Delta have a major impact on our external image, our revenue flow and of course on the lives of those in the region. Please keep up the good work in this area to restore the peace we all crave.
Mr President you will have seen a theme coming through these comments – which is, what we as UK Nigerians in Diaspora can do for our country with your help. It is suggested that we also contribute via remittances around 2.8% of the GDP directly into the Nigerian economy every year- many billions of Naira. However, we crave the right to really play an active part in the development of the country. We, and when I say we, I do mean we, all groups of Nigerians in the UK whether professional, cultural, political or otherwise, ask for the right to vote in Nigerian elections. Your Excellency, at the last political reform conference in Nigeria the concept of Diaspora voting was agreed in principle. We are aware that a Bill is going through the Federal Legislative House for consideration of its inclusion in our laws and electoral Act. For this reason we implore you to grant the Diaspora participation in the current Electoral Reform Commission and you can be assured of the assistance of both CANUK and NIDO UK South (Mr Kayode Adeyemi NIDO UK South President is also here today) to field capable and competent hands. Mr President we ask for your support to our requests and prayers in this respect.
Mr President, on behalf of the Nigerians in the UK I also thank you for your choice of High Commissioner ( HE Dr Dalhatu Tafida, OFR) and the Mission staff. They have been a credit to your administration and have not only worked hard to restore the relationship between Nigerians in the UK and the Nigerian Government, they have taken their services to Nigerians and visa applications to visit to Nigeria into the technological era facilitating a much improved service. They have actively engaged with the host community and we are also working together to ensure the improved welfare of Nigerians in the UK. Thank you Mr High Commissioner and your staff, keep up the good work.
Finally Mr President, Mr High Commissioner…all protocols observed…thank you for visiting the UK and your citizens abroad and for listening to us.
In conclusion, we pray that your administration:
draws on our skills, enthusiasm and expertise provides us an opportunity to engage positively, and support our requests for a vote
Mr President, be assured that we will continue to work together (CANUK/NIDO UK South and similar organisations) to offer our best to the fatherland, while making you proud of us as we remain Nigeria’s ambassadors abroad in our daily lives.
Thank You very much Mr President.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Dr. Mark Abani
Chair CANUK
17 July 2008
Background on CANUK:
The Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom (CANUK) is an umbrella body of all Nigerian Associations in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. CANUK was formed in recognition of a clear need to unite the plethora of Nigerian societies, bodies, unions and organisations under one all-embracing umbrella organisation with a view to ensuring that whenever and wherever appropriate, the welfare, views, and community interests of Nigerians in the United Kingdom are represented in a harmonious and organised manner, thereby giving a common forum and united voice to an expression of pride and hope for a vibrant Nigerian community in the United Kingdom. CANUK’s membership is drawn from all Nigerian cultural, state-based, professional, social, student and regional-based organisations. It currently represents about 75 different associations and 20 other affiliate/associate members with a membership of 75,000. We also work with other groups such as the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation UK South and NIDOe.
We are proud that His Excellency Dr (Senator) Dalhatu Tafida, OFR, Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and HE Dr Christopher Kolade CON, are our Patrons.
We have brought together many Nigerians over the last few years, instilled a sense of pride in Nigeria and held a number of successful events. We continue to cross promote ALL Nigerians who do the right thing and bring us pride and work closely with organizations helping Nigerians back in Nigeria.
Our Next Event is the
3rd ANNUAL CANUK FAMILY FUN AND SPORTS DAY 2008
Sat 26th July 2008
10am to 5 pm
Linford Christie Stadium
Du Cane Road (behind Hammersmith Hospital)
West London
W12 0DF
Entrance is FREE – a day to make every Nigerian Proud.
Coming in the autumn and in support of the National Vision 2020
Mr President at the Business Breakfast organised by the High Comm is association with Business in Africa and AfriRecruit and support by BEN TV
Mr President Speaks at the Business Breakfast
The Presidential Party at ABUJA HOUSE Arranged by the High Commission is Association with CANUK and BEN TV...Catering by ALALEKE
HE The High Commissioner - Dr Tafida OFR gives the welcome address
Mr PRESIDENT speaks to Nigerians in the UK at Abuja House Dr ABANI - CHAIR CANUK - GAVE THE UK ADDRESS TO MR PRESIDENT - See Speech below
Mr President speaks to NIGERIANS
