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Nigeria Welcomes Commonwealth
Heads Of Governments!
By
Paul I. Adujie
New York, United States
As members of the Commonwealth, you probably know Nigeria’s geography and
topography very well; It bears repeating for emphasis, however, that
Nigeria’s natural, material, mineral and human endowments are spectacularly
outstanding
All Nigerians, are delighted and immensely pleased, that you are visiting
our country!
Countries of the Commonwealth and Nigeria has a great deal in common, The
Commonwealth, and Nigeria makes good business and cultural partners, great
countries with known natural endowments, uncountable resources, and blessed
with boundless energies and bountiful opportunities with limitless
possibilities!
All that you must have heard, about our venerable and legendary hospitality
are factually based and true! Based on these truths, I am certain that your
trip will be fruitful, useful, productive and entertaining as well.
We welcome our visitors and guests with all kindness and open arms
We hope that our belief in you, our expectation, our faith and desires are
met, as we believe strongly in the extraordinarily outstanding possibilities
that comes with your visit, we pray that these expectations and hopes are
not dashed. We earnestly and sincerely, pray that your visit amount to more
than a photo-opportunity and the usual rhetoric (as some have already
suggested, expressing reservations and even fears that your visit will not
be backed with effective muscle and action) The Commonwealth member
countries command a humongous size resources and powers, powers and
resources, that can be harnessed and made into a powerful force to do
so
much good, that will positively affect the lives of people in Nigeria and
the well-publicized abject conditions that a battered economy has brought
upon Nigerians and Nigeria.
Economy: Investment In Nigeria Will Mutually Benefit Commonwealth
member
countries and Nigeria
As members of the Commonwealth are probably already aware, Nigeria has a
large economy, it is very large and diverse indeed! There many British and
other Commonwealth countries Companies, that are already benefiting from
their being engaged and involved in these great opportunities, for the
mutual benefits of Commonwealth countries and Nigerians, the Nigerian
economy is replete with limitless and bountiful opportunities for the very
experienced Commonwealth countries individuals and Corporations.
Companies from the Commonwealth member countries, are presently, primarily
engaged in Nigeria’s extensive and vibrant petroleum exploration and
exploitation sector, and some manufacturing concerns; these companies from
your various home countries, currently participate actively and effectively
in Nigeria. Nigeria is a large supplier of the energy needs to the
industrial base and the engine-room of the various economies of your home
countries.
There are other multifarious sectors or other areas of the Nigeria economy
with open arms and invitation to great Commonwealth countries
Companies\Corporations and individuals involvements and participation in,
areas such as, Agricultural Sector relating to food production and
distribution, Automobile and the Transportation Sub-sector etc;
Additionally, Companies of Commonwealth countries can derive enormous
benefits from participation in the Construction sector, Nigeria has great
needs to build more roads and build more I hope that your visit is an
actualization of our positive aspirations for our countries, leading to
meaningful trade and investments in and with Nigeria.
Debt Cancellation or Forgiveness For Nigeria, Relief From The Crushing Debt
Burden
Nigeria is indebted to the governments and some private institutions in the
Commonwealth countries and this debts are approximately Twenty Eight Billion
US Dollars! In view of Nigeria’s GDP and national income per capita, this
foreign debt and the servicing of these debts are stifling to Nigerians and
Nigeria! These foreign debts has stymied economic growth and deprived the
average Nigerian citizen, any semblance or modicum of decent living in
Nigeria! Take Nigeria’s message to the London Club of Creditors.
I plead with you all, to add your voices, the power of your offices and the
prestige of the of the Commonwealth countries to the request of Nigerians
for the urgent need for the Commonwealth countries to cancel or forgive
these debts, some of these debts are bogus to begin with, and worse, the
cost of servicing these debt are crushingly overwhelming to the average
economy and humble Nigerian citizens bearing the liabilities and burden of
these debts, the interests payments have outstripped the original debts! The
original principal debts were much less compared to the outrageous and
usurious interests that Nigerians have become bedeviled with. The IMF and
the World Bank have not been particularly helpful! What with their very
suffocating economic policy prescriptions that they are quick to impose on
Nigerians, with attendant excruciating agonies and pains for the Africans?
All these are arguably, inflicted upon the Nigerians by these Breton Woods
Institutions for and on behalf of America and Europe! The debts issues are
now matters of urgency and extreme emergency in Nigeria! As Commonwealth
member countries, your voice and prestige can change this!
Loot Recovery, Nigeria’s Monies In England And Other Commonwealth Member
Countries
The bulk of Nigeria’s monies that are hidden off-shore or in banks overseas,
are in Commonwealth member countries! Legal and Administrative obstacles
must be removed by these supposedly friendly fellow Commonwealth member
countries! Prove your friendship to Nigerians, by assisting in the
repatriation of Nigeria’s looted wealth, it will ease the sufferings and
hardships, that Nigerians currently endure, as a direct result of these
unbridled lootings! The time to act, is now! Demonstrate your commitment to
us.
Letting Nigeria have the looted monies, will not ruin your economies!
Nigeria will not cause economic upheaval by taking all the monies in a day
or cause any malicious capital flight, Nigeria will invest the monies,
Nigeria will actually spend some of the monies with companies in your
countries, to import valuables that Nigeria need for economic development
and for hospital and academic equipments, companies in your countries will
benefit!
Our President Obasanjo have been talking to most of you, visiting and
revisiting, during these past five years, you are now all in Nigeria, in one
Hall, in one Room! Be informed that Nigeria need your cooperation and
partnership, for the mutual benefits Nigeria and your various
home-countries.
As members of the Commonwealth, and by extension, countries with cordial
relationship with Nigeria, you all understand the circumstances in Nigeria,
particularly, the circumstances that led to Nigeria’s monies being looted
and stashed outside of Nigeria, and most of these countries where Nigeria
looted monies were banked, are Commonwealth member countries!
The current meeting of CHOGM in Nigeria, presents a wonderful opportunity
for Commonwealth members to assist Nigeria in the loot recovery process, not
a long drawn-out process, but and expedited process. Nigeria's looted monies
and resources, in various Commonwealth countries, Attendees, must do
all,
that must be done, to ensure that Nigeria's wealth is returned to Nigeria,
where it properly belongs! The Queen of England should demonstrate her power
and prestige, to implore the banks in England, to return Nigeria’s monies to
Nigeria. Banks in England remain the major storage-room of Nigeria’s looted
monies. The Queen impress this upon the English Parliament, the Queen can
implore Prime Minister Blair to rapidly develop a policy for the British
government encompassing procedure that would culminate in the return of
Nigeria’s looted monies to Nigeria forthwith!
The issues concerning Nigeria’s looted monies, have been allowed to drag on
for far too long! Bureaucratic snafus and roadblocks and all manners of
obstacles and impediments, have been instigated to delay or even deprive
Nigeria of our legitimate monies, albeit it, stolen by some Nigerians, and sometimes, in collusion and connivance with some non-Nigerians. If
Commonwealth member countries are our friends, family and countries with
cordial economic and diplomatic relationships, how can they let Nigeria be
deprived of sorely needed resources? Especially, as Nigeria is trying to
establish economic and political reforms!
Give us our money! Or we will not continue to consider you friends, family
or countries that we have cordial economic and diplomatic relationship with!
Give us our money or we may as well leave the Commonwealth! What sort of
friends deprive Nigeria of Nigeria’s stolen monies? All Nigerians demand to
know, who Nigeria’s truest friends, really are!
Foreign Aid Channeling To Nigeria
Foreign Aid has perennially bypassed Nigeria to other parts of the world! My
dear leaders of the Commonwealth, Nigeria need your partnership in economic
and political development, including direct aid, it has been the case, that,
historically, foreign aid, the bulk of it, does not flow to Nigeria! For
some reasons, or perhaps, no reasons at all? Foreign Aid does not
necessarily flow to where the needs are greatest!
We have found glaring disparities and double standards in the applications
of policies affecting Nigerian peoples and issues, when compared to the
effect and zealous implementation of same or similar policies to other
countries outside of Nigeria.
This is the foreign aid ambivalence, as it has existed for hundreds of
years! Britain and other members of the Commonwealth, with capacities or
resources to do so, must change their policies towards Nigeria, so that such
policies breathe friendships and partnerships between members of the
Commonwealth, instead of a permanently lopsided and skewed policies that
have adverse effect on Africans.
Unfortunately, this has been the case, regardless of the fact that the needs
and challenges in Nigeria are greatest (at least everyone agrees on this!
Everyone realizes the gaping urgent needs in Nigeria!) Nigeria has more
people and more needs than most other member countries of the Commonwealth,
and yet, Nigeria receive less foreign aid and investments, less in yearly
foreign aid, loan guarantees and material aid etc from the those members of
the Commonwealth with the means to do so, We do not begrudge others, but
what about us? We are a friendly nation and we have maintained good
relationship with the other members of the Commonwealth, literally, forever!
Sometimes aid is just a drop in the bucket? Foreign aid will have impact,
when all factors are taken into account, for example, it is no foreign
justice, to give Five Billion Dollars yearly in aid, say a country of Five
Million people as her population, and then offer a paltry One Hundred
Million Dollars to another country with a population of 140 Million people,
with more pressing needs and challenges! The outcome or results are clearly
predetermined by the sheer overwhelming numbers in the latter country’s
population and the considerably and spectacularly lesser amount of Dollars
offered to the latter! For foreign aid to work, it must take population size
into consideration, while the quantification of the targeted crises is also
essential, this will prevent the appearance of putting water in a basket,
and the attendant so-called foreign aid donor fatigue!
Nigeria desires closer ties with the fellow members of the Commonwealth
countries, trade and investment consistent with the axiom of, if you teach
someone how to fish, you may no longer have to give her fish!
Self-sufficiency and self-sustaining attitude takes over!
It remains the case that geopolitics, lobbying abilities and other
extraneous factors and incidental matters, are what determine, where foreign
aid, from our friends in the Commonwealth, who have the means and are able
to be good partners with Nigeria.
There appear to be the unspoken policy and attitude, that portrays Nigeria
and Africa, as the inconvenient part of the world, or just a mere nuisance
and an irritant on the world, so that, some constantly express irritations,
frustrations and fatigue in connection with all Nigerian and African issues
and without doing anything at all to stop, alleviate or eliminate the
crises, or abysmal conditions that lead to these crises!
Your visit to Nigeria, is a demonstration of your faith in Nigeria, I take
that to heart, because, those, as yourselves, who would find something to
admire in Nigeria and all of despite Nigeria’s economic and political
challenges in recent times; We whole heartedly wish well, those who
reach-out to us and we pray that their lives will overflow with life’s
goodness and abundance!
Welcome To Nigeria!
Paul I. Adujie is a Nigerian Lawyer and an Information Technology
Professional.
Dec 2003
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