SPEECHES
Remarks
Charge’ d’Affairs
Robert E. Gribbin
Embassy of the United States
American Corner Commissioning
Book Donation
September 18, 2007
Maiduguri
His Excellency, Senator Ali Modu Sherrif, The Executive Governor of Borno State
Alhaji Abubakar Kyari, Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Education
Alhaji Musa Abba Aji, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education
Professor Jibrilla D. Amin, Vice Chancellor, University of Maiduguri
Principals of Invited Schools
Library Directors
Students – especially the students!
Ladies and Gentlemen of the press;
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen;
All protocols observed.
Good morning.
It gives me great pleasure to be here today at the University of Maiduguri.
It is an honor and pleasure to be here today to open this American Corner collection in the University of Maiduguri and to donate sets of school books to schools in Maiduguri.
First let me speak about the American Corner collection.
The American government has established over three hundred American Corners around the world.
American Corners serve as a window into the richness and diversity of American life and culture, build bridges of communication and understanding, and establish partnerships with libraries and educational institutions and the people they serve.
In this American Corner you can read about America, find out how to study in the US, watch videos about American history and culture, learn about famous American men and women, explore new ideas, find out about how our government works, how our laws are made and policies shaped, and even find a book to read to your brothers and sisters.
This American Corner will serve as common ground for Americans and Nigerians to engage, communicate, and learn from each other.
It houses a collection of books and multimedia materials that are a gift to the people of Borno State from the American people.
The American Corner in Maiduguri represents our common quest for knowledge, for engagement with people and cultures outside our own communities, for exploring new ways of thinking and perceiving and learning about others.
It also represents an important part of American history: open access to education and knowledge for everyone, for men, for women, for children, for our elderly, for immigrants, and for visitors and guests.
It represents our common desire to grow and develop as human beings, and to help develop the communities and societies in which we live.
Libraries have long played an important role in American life.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the drafters of our constitution and our first diplomat, founded one of the first public libraries in 1731 in Philadelphia.
The success of this library encouraged the opening of libraries in other American cities.
Thomas Jefferson, who also helped write the Declaration of Independence and who later became the third president of the United States, was a great collector of books.
When the British invaded Washington D.C. during the War of 1812 and burned our Capitol building, they also burned the three thousand books in our Library of Congress, which was then housed in the Capitol.
Jefferson, who had taken a strong interest in the first Library of Congress while president, sold his private collection of 6,500 volumes to Congress to help restart the Library.
Today the Library of Congress collects materials from all over the world and is open for all to use.
First Lady of the United States Laura Bush, herself a librarian, has this to say about libraries, “Libraries are community treasure chests, loaded with a wealth of information available to everyone equally.”
Although this American Corner is modest in size, it is big in ideas.
American Poet Laureate Rita Dove said, “My childhood library was small enough not to be intimidating. And yet I felt the whole world was contained in those two rooms. I could walk an aisle and smell wisdom.”
I want to thank His Excellency Senator Ali Modu Sherrif The Executive Governor of Borno State for joining us today in commissioning and accepting this American Corner in Maiduguri.
But most of all I want to thank all of you for joining with me today to commission this American Corner.
And now I would like to address the students and parents of the schools who are receiving books.
Support for education is a high priority for the American government, and represents a significant aspect of our foreign assistance around the world.
I personally feel that education is vital to cultivating and sustaining any society.
Education is also encouraged, indeed obligated, by the teachings of Islam.
In the incisive words of the Prophet Muhammad – Peace Be Unto Him – “Knowledge is incumbent on everyone, male and female, from the cradle to the grave.”
Children are the future and promise of every nation, and they are clearly the promise of Nigeria.
Education inspires children to learn, explore and discover the world.
At the same time, children learn the importance of self-respect, dignity and service to their community.
It is our generation’s responsibility to ensure that all children, girls and boys, are given the opportunity to contribute to the development of this great nation.
The American Government is committed to supporting Nigeria’s goal of providing quality education to every Nigerian child.
As the African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child”.
In our partnership with the Borno State Government, much has already been done to improve the education of the thousands of students in Bauchi.
Now, the American Government will continue to support education by donating books on a large scale to sixty schools in Northern Nigeria including eight schools in Borno State.
In addition to Borno State the books will be donated to schools in Kano, Katsina, Gombe, Niger, Borno, and Sokoto. Some donations have already taken place and other donations will take place over the next several months.
Over eleven thousand volumes will be donated – that’s over two and a half tons of books!
Today is the second such book donation, and it is my pleasure to present these educational materials to the principles of the invited schools on behalf of the American people.
The following eight schools will 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 books are published by Scholastic Press in the United States and are all in English.
In addition to the books we are donating today the American Corner collection contains several hundred more books and audiovisual materials about America. Included are books on how to study in the United States which will be of benefit to the students of these schools who might want to pursue higher education in the U.S.
I encourage you to visit the American Corner collection following this program.
I trust that these books will be put to great use for the benefit of the students of these schools.
I would like to take this opportunity to give you three words of advice:
READ! READ! READ!
Thank you.
Previous Ambassadors
Amb Thomas Furey
