Your Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria; His Honour, the Vice President of the Republic of
Botswana, Dr. Ponatshego Kedikilwe; Your Lordship, Chief Justice
Dibotelo; The Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Nasha;
Cabinet Ministers from Botswana and Nigeria; Leader of the Opposition;
Your Excellencies, Members of the Diplomatic Corps; Honourable Members of
Parliament; Your Worship, the Mayor of the City of Gaborone;
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;

1. It is a great honour for me to extend to you, Mr. President, and your
delegation a very warm and special welcome on the occasion of your first
State Visit to Botswana. The Government and people of Botswana are indeed
honoured and privileged to host you as our special guest.

2. Allow me to take this opportunity, Your Excellency, to express my
profound gratitude to you for accepting my invitation to visit Botswana
in spite of pressing commitments back home. The fact that you managed to
take some time off your busy schedule to be with us for a few days, is a
clear indication of your strong commitment and desire to further
strengthen and deepen the strong bonds of friendship and the close
historical ties that exist between Botswana and Nigeria.

3. Mr. President, may I seize this opportunity, to express my sincere
gratitude for the hospitality and warm reception you accorded me and my
delegation, during my official visit to your country, last August. I
still have the good memories of the visit, which served to bring us
closer together, despite the geographical distance between our two
counties.

4. Your visit to Botswana, Mr. President, will no doubt cement the
excellent relations that Botswana and Nigeria happily enjoy. These
relations date back to the formative years of our independence, when
Botswana was classified as one of the poorest countries in the world, and
was at the time surrounded by hostile and racist neighbours.

5. Through the support and generous assistance we received from friends
such as Nigeria, with whom we share common values and aspirations, we
were able to survive those difficult times.

6. Botswana, and indeed the Southern Africa region, will always remain
grateful to Nigeria for her invaluable contribution to the liberation
struggle in our region. We still remember all too vividly, the active
involvement of your great country, in the efforts of the Frontline
States, to bring an end to colonialism and apartheid in our part of the
Continent. Today, the Southern Africa region boasts of relative peace and
stability, thanks to your country's enduring support and that of other
friends in the international community.

7. It is important to note that following the establishment of diplomatic
relations between our two countries in 1968, Nigeria became one of the
first countries to establish a resident diplomatic mission in Gaborone,
in 1971. Given the strategic nature of our relations, Botswana deemed it
necessary to reciprocate this gesture of solidarity by opening a resident
diplomat Mission in Abuja, in 2007. Although this was a belated move, it
has however paved the way for the further strengthening and deepening of
our bilateral relations.

8. Mr. President, it is gratifying to note the relations between our two
countries have, over the years, grown to cover a number of areas of human
endeavours. Notable among these, is the fact that the two countries have
exchanged a number of high-level and other visits of mutual benefit. The
State Visit to Botswana by the former Nigerian President Obasanjo in 2002
remains a memorable and a cherished event.

9. Similarly, the visits to Nigeria by former Presidents Masire and Mogae
in 2003 and 2010, respectively, as well as the visit by the former
Vice-President Lt. Gen. Merafhe in 2010, attests to this.

10. Botswana will always remain appreciative of the assistance we
received from Nigeria in the area of human resources development. Many
Batswana have in the past, received training in Nigeria's academic
institutions.

11. I must also recognize the invaluable contribution made by some of
your nationals, who have over the years, worked in government and private
institutions as legal, medical and health professionals, teachers and
university lecturers. Some of them have established businesses in
Botswana, especially in the textile and apparel industry.

12. Close collaboration between Botswana and Nigeria also exists in the
area of defence and security, particularly with regard to military
exchange programmes. Botswana is also happy to have trained some Nigerian
Police officers at our International Law Enforcement Academy.

13. There is a great potential for enhanced cooperation between our two
countries through existing bilateral frameworks such as the Joint
Permanent Commission on Cooperation. This platform continues to serve as
an important vehicle for the expansion and deepening of the scope of our
bilateral relations, which should include other key potential areas such
as energy supply, agriculture and tourism.

14. Mr. President, I find it fitting that I should reiterate my
congratulations to you on your resounding victory during the Presidential
elections held in your country in April 2011. Your election to that
office was a clear demonstration of the trust and confidence that the
people of Nigeria have in your visionary and able leadership. I have no
doubt that you will be able to achieve the objectives that you and your
Party set for yourselves.

15. I wish to also commend you for the remarkable efforts you continue to
make to deepen political stability in your country. Notably, the
electoral reforms that you introduced, leading to the successful conduct
of elections in Nigeria last year, your commitment to fighting corruption
and the promotion of democratic values and principles are a clear
manifestation of your judicious and exemplary leadership.

16. Your Excellency, our continued close collaboration at the bilateral
and international level, and our common resolve to address the political
and socio-economic challenges faced by our countries is of paramount
importance. In this regard, Botswana unequivocally condemns the
atrocities that have taken place in your country by Religious Extremists.
 People should not think this is only for you as the leader and your
Government to confront. It is for all Nigerians to challenge and their
duty to help resolve.

17. On the continental front, the political and security situation on the
African Continent remains one of the daunting challenges of our time. I
however, wish to commend you for the astute leadership that Nigeria
demonstrated during the search for a lasting solution to the political
crisis in Cote d' Ivoire following the Presidential elections held in
November 2010.

18. Equally, I must commend Nigeria and the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) for the steadfast commitment made to resolve the
conflicts in Mali and Guinea Bissau and elsewhere on the Continent. Your
continued search for peace and stability in West Africa is of critical
importance in the promotion of international peace and security.

19. In conclusion, Your Excellency, I wish to once again, thank you for
honouring us with your visit. I am confident that with our continued
close collaboration we can achieve a lot more for the peoples of Botswana
and Nigeria.

20. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I now request you to
join me drink a toast:

 to the continued good health of His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; * to the
continued friendship, solidarity and fruitful cooperation between the
Governments and peoples of Botswana and Nigeria; and * to international
peace and prosperity.

I thank you.