The Indian community in Nigeria on Saturday converged at the Indian High Commission in Abuja to celebrate India’s 68th Independence Day.

Addressing the Indian community on the occasion, the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ajjampur Ghanashyam said, “Nigeria is a land of golden opportunities.”

Ghanashyam challenged them to be creative so as to take the maximum advantage of the opportunities that abound in Nigeria.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ghanashyam urged Indians to be good ambassadors.

“The message that I give Indians today is: don’t look for money to come from outside if you don’t have.

“Don’t look for the investors coming from all over the world. There is money inside this country; there are ideas inside this country.

“Why can’t we go for rehabilitating Nigerian industries which have been moribund? Why do you need new textile mills when there are old ones lying here?

“You (Indians) upgrade them in terms of technology. If you can’t, it’s a different question. Then you have to rebuild it and bring up a new one.

“Here in Nigeria, you can create employment without extra-ordinary additional investment.

“We have a starch factory in Kaduna. Chanrai took that factory up and overhauled the machinery, arranged the supplier of raw materials, appointed people and spent millions of dollars on it.

“Chanrai set up a gas station for the feeding power and after spending one million dollars on it, the value of that starch-making plant in Kaduna has become 10 million dollars.

“See how it used creativity to multiply the investment of one million dollars by 10 times. These are the ideas which I want the Indians to develop.”

Ghanashyam, later read the address of President Pranab Mukherjee, who stressed the need to preserve democratic institutions and the plurality of India.

“Our democracy is creative because it is plural, but diversity must be nourished with tolerance and patience.

“In an age of instant communication through ever-improving technology, we must remain vigilant to ensure that the devious designs of a few never overcome the essential oneness of our people.

“For both government and people, the rule of law is sacrosanct, but society is also protected by something greater than law.”

He said India is a target of vicious terrorist groups operating from across the borders, saying these terrorists have no religion and adhere to no ideology.

Pranab urged neighbours to ensure that their territories are not used by forces inimical to India, saying her policy will remain ‘one of zero tolerance for terrorism.’

“We reject any attempt to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Infiltration into our territory and attempts to create mayhem will be dealt with a strong hand.”

He also said ‘economic reforms’ are a work in progress and the performance over the last decade has been ‘commendable.’

“We have recovered to 7.3 per cent growth in 2014-15. But the benefits of growth must reach the poorest of the poor much before they land in the bank accounts of the richest of the rich.

“We are an inclusive democracy, and an inclusive economy; there is place for everyone in the hierarchy of wealth.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that India became Independent of Britain on Aug. 15, 1947 but a Republic on Jan. 26, 1950, which it marks as National Day. (NAN)

•Photo shows President Pranab Mukherjee

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