The Centenary celebration is now in progress at International Conference Centre, Garki Abuja. Over 12 World’s Heads of States, who were received at the airport yesterday and present at the event include, Presidents Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibi; Paul Kagame of Rwanda; Yahya Jammeh of Gambia and Prosper Bazombaza of Burundi. President Helen Sirleaf of Liberia and the former Secretary-General of Organisation for African Union, Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, who led the Tanzanian delegation also arrived in Abuja on Wednesday for the celebration.
 
Others include, President of Mauritania, Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz; Ethiopian President, Mr. Hailemarian Desalegh; and the European Union President, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso. The Zambian Minister of Defence, Mr. Edgar Lungu, is representing the Zambian President, Micheal Saata. Israel is also being represented by its Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Yair Shamir. United States President Barack Obama designated State Counsellor Thomas Shannon as the leader of a presidential delegation to the centenary in Abuja.

Also, President of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, sent a letter of congratulations to President Goodluck Jonathan on the nation’s centenary. Burkhalter is being represented by the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel.

The major highlight of the week-long activities includes an international conference on peace and security in Africa on Thursday to be attended by several world leaders. The celebrations will also feature the conferment of honours on 100 Nigerians, with about 40 per cent of the awards to be presented posthumously.


The British colonial authorities had on January 1, 1914 amalgamated what were then the separate protectorates of Southern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria. The amalgamation gave birth to the single geo-political entity known as Nigeria.