TheCable

The Royal Commonwealth Society has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for “putting Nigeria in the right shape and uniting African leaders”.

Abdullahi Faruk, vice-president of the association, said this on Thursday at the 2016 Commonwealth Day Celebration in Abuja.

Faruk said the Commonwealth appreciates Buhari for his dogged determination to put Nigeria on the right track, for his leadership role in the continent and ensure better relation with leaders.

“The Royal Commonwealth Society would like to appreciate him for his dogged determination to put Nigeria in the right shape,” he said.

“We also commend him for uniting the African countries and making the continent a better place to live.

“We in the Royal Commonwealth regard him as the most popular President in Africa.”

He explained that the Commonwealth promotes democracy, good governance, mass literacy, sustainable growth, human rights, and eradication of poverty, HIV/AIDS and armed conflicts.

He said the organisation also seeks to address the challenges associated with the climate change, migration and education.

Faruk added that the association comprised of 53 member countries, spreading through all the continents of the world.

He said the over 2.2 billion population of the organisation’s member countries, second only to the UN, represents all aspects of global diversity and 30 per cent of world’s population.

Faruk said the richness of the Commonwealth was further demonstrated as a family of nations in which each member is valued equally and has an equal voice.

He called on Nigerians to embrace peace irrespective of their socio-political and ethnic affiliations, saying the Commonwealth regarded all people as one family under God.

In her message, Queen Elizabeth 11 of England said the essential ingredient of belonging to the Commonwealth was the willingness “to share, to exchange and to act for the common good”.

Amina Zakari, national commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and an awardee of the 2015 Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Malta, read the message on her behalf.

“By including others, drawing on collective insights, knowledge and resources, and thinking and working together, we lay the foundations of a harmonious and progressive society,” she said.

“The greater the diversity of those included in such a shared enterprise, the greater the gains.

“Each of us has cause to celebrate the sense of belonging expressed in our 2016 theme: `An Inclusive Commonwealth.”

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of representatives, represented by Nnenna Ukeje- Elendu, chairperson house committee foreign affairs, was honoured with the Commonwealth ambassador’s award for distinguishing himself in the course of democracy.