Your Excellency, Lt. General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President of the
Republic of Botswana, Excellencies, Members of the Government of the
Republic of Botswana, Excellencies , Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish, on behalf of my delegation , to express my profound appreciation
for a wonderful reception and hospitality accorded us since our arrival
in this beautiful city of Gaborone . Your kind gesture is a demonstration
of the excellent relations between our two countries.

Mr. President, relations between our two countries date back many years ,
beginning with our common positions and support for the struggle against
the settler regime in Rhodesia and Apartheid in South Africa . In spite
of the geographical distance between us, we stood together to fight for
freedom, justice and the restoration of human dignity. In that context,
we shared expertise through exchange of personnel and enhanced people to
people contacts between us.

The appointment of the late Justice Akinola Aguda as the first African
Chief Justice of Botswana blazed the trail for other Nigerian technicians
and professionals who have found Botswana a home away from home. Today,
there are about 2,500 Nigerians who live happily in your great country
and contributing their modest quota to the development of the country in
the spirit of African brotherhood.

After our victory over the forces of colonialism and apartheid in our
continent, the next logical frontiers remain the consolidation of our
independence and our economic development. In this phase, our two
countries must rely on our resilience and past experience. We must stand
together with the rest of Africa to tackle the scourges of poverty and
underdevelopment.

True independence will only come to Africa when the continent boosts its
internal trade and weans itself of its dependence on external aid. This
is why we support the AU's persistent focus on boosting intra-African
trade as a means of further fostering a better regional and continental
integration.
Our economic development will be more difficult to achieve without a free
intra-trade economic and trading system.

Your Excellency, Africa is well endowed in terms of human and material
resources that can be utilized for a turn-around of Africa's economy.
However, to successfully undertake this turnaround, African countries
must take their destinies in their own hands. We must, individually and
collectively, harness Africa's resources and, with the partnership of the
international community, use these resources for the benefit of our
continent.

This is no doubt an onerous task. In an increasingly globalised economy,
we have no alternative to this if our continent is not to be completely
marginalized and thereby consigned to be perpetually dependent on foreign
aid.

Your Excellency, we commend the role of your government in the regional
efforts at conflict resolution. We also commend the efforts of your
sub-regional organization, Southern African Development Community (SADC),
in this worthwhile venture especially in the Madagascar crisis. Africa
stands solidly behind these efforts , confident that a permanent solution
would soon be found in order that the peoples affected can live in peace
and harmony. We seize this opportunity to call on all parties to the DRC
and Madagascar crises to put aside their differences and give peace a
chance, and quickly return to normalcy.

Mr. President, in the course of this visit, we have had the opportunity
to exchange fruitful and constructive views especially with regard to
taking the excellent relations subsisting between our two countries to
greater heights. The decisions which we have reached , particularly, on
joint bilateral cooperations in various fields will give the necessary
fillip to our economic and commercial relations for the mutual benefit of
our two countries and peoples . We must therefore, work harder to ensure
that the friendly relations between us continue to grow from strength to
strength through faithful implementation of the decisions reached today.

Mr. President, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, on the occasion of
this memorable visit to the Republic of Botswana, let me invite you all
to raise your glasses and drink to the continued friendship, peace ,
prosperity and happiness of our two countries.

LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA!
LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!!
LONG LIVE AFRICAN UNITY!!!
PULA! PULA!! PULA!!!
Thank you and God bless.