 This is indeed a very special event, and I must say that is always a thing of joy and pride when foreigners settle in your country, feel at home, thrive, and feel so connected to the land that they choose to become one of you, as indeed an honor and one that we do not take lightly. So I welcome you all to the Nigerian family with great pride. Irrespective of your country of descent or origin or of your mother tongue, Nigeria is now your country, our history and traditions are now yours. Nigeria is a nation brimming with cultural diversity. We have a rich and varied diversity. Indeed, our history of immigration from all over Africa and beyond. The greatness of our nation can be partly attributed to this diversity. Numerous contributions have been made by immigrants to the Nigerian society throughout our history. A lot of our current traditions, our music, our food and our art have been richly influenced by people and cultures beyond our borders. We are diverse, but we remain bound and united by shared history, underguarded by constitutional guarantees of liberty and equality. We celebrate our diversities believing from knowledge, history and experience that we are strengthened by these very differences. What does it mean then to be a Nigerian? We are a hardworking and innovative people, a people of never ending optimism and abundant capacity for hope. A warm and generous people connected by a vast social network of family and friends, many friends even closer than family. We love our festivals and our family celebrations who can beat the Nigerian wedding. Our music and films are everywhere in the world, doctors, engineers, scientists, sports and literary figures are excelling daily everywhere. We're resilient and peace-loving people. So much has happened in the country that would have torn other nations apart, yet we're and thriving. But let us be clear, we cannot and do not ignore or downplay our challenges and there are many. And we have said many times that in order to forge ahead and succeed as a nation, we must constantly reinvigorate our social contract and deepen the meaning of our Nigerian citizenship. Nation building is not a walk in the park. Neither is it a day's work. Yet, while we fully appreciate our challenges, we must not underestimate how far we have come in just six decades of nationhood. Nations centuries older than us are still grappling with identity politics, with nationalism, with social equality, with internal and external security concerns, and the assurance of decent lives and livelihoods for their citizens. Nigeria also plays, as you know, a strategic role in the Committee of Nations, especially within Africa. We have always shown ourselves to be our brother's keepers, leading peacekeeping forces in several troubled parts of our sub-region and the continent. Our young men and women and their armed forces have laid down their lives and their well-being in the defense of peace and security in the neighboring countries to us. We have, through ECOWAS and the AU, been at the forefront of regional economic integration and the promotion of the well-being of the African people. A Nigerian citizen is indeed an African citizen. Let me therefore charge you today as the newest citizens of Nigeria to go beyond your pledge of loyalty to the flag and our laws, as well as the ideals of the anthem and the national pledge to do what you have pledged in your daily lives and in all situations. By earning an honest living, paying taxes and dues, volunteering for national and local causes, making positive and useful contributions to the advancement, progress and well-being of the communities in which you reside, and then you can live up to the words of our anthem to serve our Fatherland with love, strength, and faith. I thank the Minister of the Interior and his team for seeing us through this process, through which you are presented to us today 385 new citizens. I also commend the honorable Minister for the very far-reaching innovations that you have announced today, all of which have the full and enthusiastic approval of the President. Today's occasion marks another opportunity for the application of Chapter 3, Sections 26 and 27 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended. To all of you who have satisfied the requirements of those provisions, consequently, I hereby confer upon you Nigerian citizenship in the categories of registration and naturalization, as the case may be. I further direct that the Nigerian Immigration Service should expedite the process of visions of Nigerian passports to our fellow Nigerian citizens. On behalf of your brothers and sisters, the people of Nigeria, I welcome you all as our newest citizens. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.