SPEECHES

Charge d’Affairs
Robert E. Gribbin
Embassy of the United States

Remarks for Governor Ali Modu Sherrif
The Executive Governor of
Borno State

Maiduguri
September 17,  2007

Good Afternoon.  It is a pleasure to be here today in Maiduguri.  I have traveled to Maiduguri to meet His Excellency Ali Modu Sherrif, the Executive Governor of Borno State, and to pay a courtesy call on His Eminence the Shehu of Borno.  I will also meet other local dignitaries and friends and to host an Iftaar dinner.  I have come to pay my respects as a friend and to listen to people of Borno State. 

Tomorrow morning the Governor and I will commission an American Corner collection at the University of Maiduguri.
 
The Governor and I will cut the ribbon for the American Corner collection which is a collection of books and multi-media materials about American society.  This American Corner is the 11th to be commissioned in Nigeria.     

I will also donate eight sets of school books to schools in Maiduguri.   

The following schools will be invited to receive the books:  Government Secondary School, Baga;  Government Senior Secondary School, Bama; Government Secondary School, Gojiganna; Government Secondary School, Gubio; Government Secondary School, Konduga; Government Secondary School, Monguno; Government College (Federal), Maiduguri; and the Government Secondary School, Ngamdu.
Each set of books consists of 198 titles and focuses on: 

• The African American Experience.  This collection contains books focusing on the African American Experience.  This collection is intended for students in junior secondary schools.  A second set contains biographies of key African Americans in U.S. History.

• Secondary Ambassador Collection.  This collection contains over 100 books and items for teachers and is a combination of US history, geography, biographies, science, fiction and sports.

The books are published by Scholastic Press in the United States and are all in English. 

The American Corner also contains the same set of children’s books that I hope will be used by the children of Maiduguri. 

I will also be donating sets of school books to four schools in Gombe. 

I also want to briefly mention that during the past few years the U.S. Embassy has sent several citizens of Maiduguri to the U.S. for specialized training. 

For the United States, these projects and programs reflect the desire to help others pull themselves up by their boot straps as so many enterprising Americans have done in the past.  The programs also represent a strong and growing partnership between the people of Borno State and the American people – that is, investing in our common future.