NIGERIA will on Monday 11 March 2019, join 52 other Commonwealth member nations to observe this year’s Commonwealth Day.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who briefed newsmen on the activities lined up for the 2019 Commonwealth Observance Day, reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to equity, justice and democracy which are the core belief of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth of Nations is an inter-governmental organisation of countries Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe committed to cooperation and good governance and governed by mutual respect.
Adamu, noted that it is an association of 53 countries around the world that support each other, share experiences in various fields to strengthen democracy, good governance and development of all member countries.
He said it was in this respect that the current Secretary-General of Commonwealth of Nations, Baroness Patricia Scotland was in Nigeria recently as part of the international observer team of the just concluded Presidential election, which President Muhammadu Buhari was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said the Commonwealth of Nations has a population of about 2.4 billion people who constitute nearly 30 per cent of the world’s population.
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The Minister said the theme of this year’s celebration is: “A connected Commonwealth”, which emphasises the need to work together to protect the natural environment and ocean shared by the member nations.
He added that it was also designed to ensure cooperation on trade to encourage inclusive economic empowerment for all people, particularly women, youth and marginalized communities.
For instance, he said between 2015 and 2018, over 67 Nigerians have been awarded Commonwealth scholarship to study in other Commonwealth countries while scholars from some other Commonwealth countries are currently studying in Nigerian tertiary institutions under reciprocal scholarship.
There will be a Commonwealth Day Message from the Queen of England on the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter, which unite the 2.4 billion people in 53 countries.
Adamu, further listed some of the activities lined up for the celebration to include, youth lecture, quiz competition involving Senior Secondary School children on 5th March, and on 11th March, proper, there would be parade of the Commonwealth flags by school children, and presentation of theme song, cultural display and drama presentation among others.
2019 also marks the 70th anniversary of the formation of the Commonwealth as it is configured today, with old ties and new links enabling co-operation towards social, political and economic development, which is both inclusive and sustainable.
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