[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15626-15627]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF NIGERIA'S INDEPENDENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 2, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as founder and Co-Chair of the 
Congressional Caucus on Nigeria, I rise in joyful celebration of 55 
years of Nigeria's Independence.
  I continue to have a deep appreciation of the patriotism, resilience, 
and commitment of the Nigerian people under the leadership of their 
newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari.
  As an emerging democracy, Nigeria is a country that has faced its set 
of challenges, conflicts, and contradictions analogous to the human 
condition itself.
  From the civil war from 1967 to 1970 that almost ripped the country 
apart to the current state of violent extremists' terror wreaked on the 
Nigerian people.
  Setbacks and challenges seek to keep this bulwark of a country down.
  But Nigeria has always proven itself a capable leader in the region, 
notwithstanding its challenges.
  For example: Nigeria was instrumental in facilitating the peace 
process in Liberia.
  Nigeria played a seminal role in reenergizing and repositioning the 
African Union.
  Nigeria facilitated the establishment of the New Partnership for 
Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the African Peer Review Mechanism 
(APRM), designed to promote democracy and good governance in Africa.
   Nigeria was instrumental in empowering the Economic Community of 
West African States (ECOWAS) and the Co-prosperity Alliance Zone 
incorporating Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.
  Nigeria helped mediate conflict in the continent from Angola to 
Burundi to Namibia to Mozambique to South Africa and the eastern 
Democratic Republic of Congo, to name a few.
  In 2014, in the wake of the Ebola virus, according to the Centers for 
Disease Control (CDC), Nigeria was instrumental in containing the 
spread of the virus--preventing a serious public health epidemic which 
could have had catastrophic implications in the over 180 million person 
country.
  Indeed, in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, we have seen Nigerians 
contribute enormously to the economy of the United States and across 
the globe.
  The Nigerian economy is $573 billion--the largest in Africa and 
ranked 21 in world according to 2014 GDP reports.
  Nigeria is the ninth most populated country on the planet with arable 
land, water, forests, oil and gas, coastline, and solid minerals, just 
to name a few resources.
  As the most populous nation in Africa, according to archeologists, 
human habitation in Nigeria dates back to 9000 BC.
  Nigerians have innovated in various disciplines, from the arts to the 
sciences and everything in between.
  Nigerians are very hardworking people who through their hard work 
have been instrumental in helping to champion innovations, like 
Sulaiman Bolarinde Famro who found Farmking Mobile Multi-crop Processor 
to reduce both the time it takes to process tuber food such as cassava, 
sweet potatoes, soy, shea nuts, grains and cereals, and the amount of 
waste produced in processing--helping to promote food security while 
addressing environmental waste.
  Then there is Okwui Enwezor, the first black and Nigerian curator of 
the 56th International Art Exhibition entitled All the World's Futures, 
at the Giardini della Biennale and at the Arsenale in Italy.
  Resiliency flows through the veins and into the hearts of the 
Nigerian people.
  That is why Nigeria has emerged from so many trials and tribulations 
stronger, more united, more focused, and committed to reestablishing 
the stability, peace, security, growth, and development of the country.
  Indeed, October 1 is a day for joy and celebration for Nigerians.
  In my view, Nigeria as the regional giant in Africa has the 
attributes of a great nation and with unity of purpose Nigeria's 
fullest potential will be achieved.
  This is proven by the recent year's democratic development of free 
and fair elections--which is reflective of the Nigerian people's 
commitment to cohesion and unity of purpose.
  Market women, college students, business men, teachers, doctors, and 
lawyers flocked to the polls to exercise their right to vote.
  Notwithstanding the security issues that persisted, the citizens of 
Nigeria showed up to the polls because they understood what was at 
stake: the economic, social and political empowerment of the children, 
women and men of Nigeria.
  With this, the country elected President Buhari who assumed power 
without incident--owing to his predecessor's graceful transfer of 
power.
  Having inherited a country facing insecurity, I commend President 
Buhari's effort to double down on efforts to restore peace and security 
in Nigeria.
  He hit the ground running visiting us here in the United States--an 
important ally of Nigeria.

[[Page 15627]]

  He met with President Obama and Members of Congress who have been 
doing important work in Nigeria--myself included.
  He also visited neighbors of Nigeria with the eye towards marshalling 
a coalition of armed forces of the five nations in the Lake Chad Basin 
to confront, degrade and defeat Boko Haram.
  President Buhari also reached out to and met with the G-7 leaders and 
other friendly presidents with the eye towards building an 
international coalition against Boko Haram.
  President Buhari has moved swiftly to combat Boko Haram, commenced 
efforts to recover the Chibok girls and address the issue of the 
growing number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
  To succeed at these objectives, Nigeria must have continued U.S. 
support in technical training, logistical and infrastructural 
capabilities and professionalizing its military force to battle Boko 
Haram.
  And we can see substantial gains thus far, with the regional military 
task force and the Nigerian military closing in and killing members of 
Boko Haram and rescuing innocent Nigerians and other Africans who have 
been kidnapped and terrorized by Boko Haram.
  I commend President Buhari's commitment to Nigerian security and his 
directive to local authorities to tighten vigilance in vulnerable 
places.
  With oil being one of the greatest resources and cause of harm and 
corruption in the country, I commend President Buhari's directive to 
sanitize the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in order to 
obliterate inefficiency and corruption in that industry and in Nigeria.
  I also commend President Buhari's directive of a complete audit of 
the country's revenue generating agencies such as the Central Bank of 
Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Customs, and 
the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
  With all of President Buhari's initiatives to help get Nigeria's 
house in order, I implore the people of Nigeria to bear with the 
President even as he works to appoint his cabinet, implement the rule 
of law, facilitate security in the country, move the country's economy 
forward and empower the youth of Nigeria.
  In the words of President Buhari, I encourage the people of Nigeria 
to ``value order over speed'' and precision over mediocrity, unity over 
division, inclusion over alienation and above all, I ask the Nigerian 
people to be their brother's and sister's keepers.
  I urge the Nigerian people to support President Buhari in his careful 
strategic and deliberate decision making approach, which hopefully will 
have positive results on the future of Nigeria and the Nigerian people.
  Mr. Speaker, looking ahead of the future of Nigeria, I encourage the 
Nigerian people to remain committed to visionary change, progress and 
empowerment of Nigeria at the backdrop of successful democratic 
elections, under the leadership of a President committed to 
transparency, peace, coalition building, addressing grievances, 
negotiations, clear communication, infrastructure building and 
political intellectual capital building.
  Happy Independence Day Celebration to Nigeria and my congratulations 
to the people of Nigeria.
  Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

                          ____________________