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HE Dr Goodluck Jonathan GCON and his lovely wide, Dame Jonathan had dinner with a cross section of Nigerians on Friday 26 June at Abuja House.

What was remarkable was that HE decided to abandon the High Table and sit among the audience to discuss freely and to take questions without a filter.  His contigent was high powered and will be named shortly. Meanwhile below is the Speech presented By Dr Mark Abani- Chair of CANUK on your behalf:

Partnering with Government – The role of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK)

 by Dr Mark Abani, Chair of CANUK,

on the occasion of the official reception in the UK for

 

His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, GCON,

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

Your Excellency, Mr Vice President, first and foremost a warm Nigerian welcome once again to the UK. Your trip has been a positive one for the country as you and your entourage strive to ensure that Nigeria is seen as a country that quite rightly should attract inward investment. 

 

It is with great pride and pleasure that I stand here today to say that your compatriots in the UK, Nigerians in the UK welcome your efforts and the efforts of the Government of Nigeria to restore the pride of being Nigerian.  I can say with certainty on behalf of the very many Nigerians who live and work in the UK that Nigerians have proven themselves to be worthy guests and indeed, for many of us, worthy citizens of the UK; playing key and significant roles in making sure that the UK is a successful country.  We are true Ambassadors of our homeland, Nigeria.

 

Your Excellency, although some less optimistic sources put the numbers of Nigerians in the UK in high hundreds of thousands, other better informed sources say up to 2% of the UK population are Nigerians or of Nigerian origin.  This vast pool of talented Nigerians has the internationally benchmarked skills and positive attitudes to partner with Nigeria, but more importantly, are willing, able and positive about how they can contribute to the development of a greater Nigeria as evidenced in the aspirations set out in your Government’s 7 point Agenda.

 

Mr Vice President, I never tire of saying that our DNA is Nigerian, and that here in the UK, the abbreviation, DNA stands for ‘Diaspora Nigerians [are] Achievers’.  We have a Nigerian in the House of Lords, Nigerian Councillors, Mayors and numbers striving to be part of the UK legislative Houses.  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 through their exemplary performance and good conduct.

 

Mr Vice President,

 

We welcome the opportunity to explain to you how we firmly believe that we Nigerians in the UK can partner with the Government of Nigeria to contribute our widow’s mite to the realisation of our collective dreams.  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 and members of the National Technical Working Committees of the National Vision 2020.

 

As you may wish to know, a large number of us have already started to engage directly having been appointed to various Boards and Committees in Nigeria.  But we need further and more formal opportunities to engage and show what we can do.

 

So in practical terms, what do we have to offer? Our offerings can be summarised under the following broad headings:

 Internationally benchmarked and proven skillsExperience of the practical implementation of theoretical plansClear project management for delivering innovative and at times, radical policies that workBuilding exchange programmes to help build capacity in NigeriaValidation that the external partners can deliver the investment they promise and a reassurance to these investors of the bona fides of the projects we participate in – the honest broker.

 

And these translate into the following examples:

 

Power, Energy and Roads:  Our Engineering Forum of Nigeria (UK) held a conference today, Friday, June 26, 2009, on the subject “Investment Opportunities through PPP in Developing Economies” and you will be pleased to know that these are Nigerians who are 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 base and in building a sustainable transport system and road network.

 

Security and capacity building: Nigerians are key members of the UK security services including Customs, Prisons, Police and so on.  We have an Association of British-Nigerian Law Enforcement officers (ABLE) who have been seeking ways to help build Nigeria’s security capacity.  They have held high level talks but need your support to break in and make a difference in this vital area.

 

Our Medical experts (MANSAG) have programmes engaged with UK Universities to improve the offering to our Nigeria trained Doctors and Nurses.  This needs active and high level support.

 

We hope to have a conference in the UK on the NV 2020 themes and in association with the National Planning Commission to drive further engagement.  We trust you will give this your full support.

 

I could go on but given time constraint 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, the lives of those in the region.  Please keep up the good work in this area to restore the peace we all crave.

 

Your Excellency,

 

During your last visit, you assured us of the commitment of your Government to the concept of Diaspora voting, which was agreed in principle.  We are again imploring you to grant the Diaspora participation in the current Electoral Reform Commission and you can be assured of the assistance of both CANUK and NIDOE to field capable and competent hands. 

 

May I also use this opportunity to place on record our thanks to your representative in the UK, our High Commissioner, HE Dr Dalhatu Tafida, OFR and his staff for the way they have continued to build relationships with Nigerians in the UK as they improve the service they provide us.

 

Finally, Mr Vice President, Mr High Commissioner…all protocols observed…thank you for making time in your tight programme to meet with your citizens in the UK and for listening to us. 

 

In conclusion, we pray that your administration:

 draws on our experience, skills, enthusiasm and expertise provides us an opportunity to engage positively, and continues to support our requests for a vote.

 

In return, we guarantee to work together, (CANUK/NIDOE UK South and similar organisations), to offer our best to our Fatherland, while making you proud of us as we continue to serve as Nigeria’s ambassadors abroad in our daily lives.

 

Thank you, Sir as we wish you and your delegation a safe journey home.

 

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 



Dr. Mark Abani

Chairman CANUK

26 June 2009


HE Dr Jonathan Goodluck met with the Nigerian Community in April 2009 and promised to be Back in July.