Nigeria Welcomes Commonwealth Heads Of Governments!

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