Nigeria and the African continent in general are the expected next destination of massive investment flows and all Nigerians at home and abroad should be ready to make the African renaissance a reality.

 

That was the common message conveyed in New York at this year's annual Nigerian Lawyers Association, NLA dinner and presentation of a Merit Award by the award winner, Dr. Kase Lawal and Oby Ezekwesili, Vice President for Africa at the World Bank, Empowered Newsire, a US based Nigerian news agency reports.

 

Other dignitaries at the event include the Attorney-General of the Federation Michael Aondooaka, who also made "Special remarks" later at the dinner and who offered to become "a member of the NLA."

 

Ezekwesili said she was asked on Friday to take the place of EFCC Chairman Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the advertised keynote speaker at the event on Saturday event at Crowne Plaza Hotel in the heart of Manhattan, New York. 

 

In a clearly impressive speech Ezekwesili said Africa's moment has come, disclosing that 1/3 of Africans today live in countries that have recently recorded a 5.5% growth increase.

 

During his acceptance speech, Dr. Lawal, Founder and Chairman of CAMAC, a US-based oil exploration and energy development firm which is among the biggest black-owned business in America said Nigeria should brace up since growth comes however to only those who pursues it. "This is Africa's time in the sun."

 

According to Ezekwesili who spoke first "one out of every 4 Africans is a Nigeria meaning Nigeria holds a lot of responsibilities." She added that "We use to say, if Nigeria misses the MDGs, then the continent has difficulties reaching them." Which is why in her opinion good governance matters, especially the anti-corruption complement.

 

Reeling out some statistics, the Vice President of the World Bank for Africa said 1/3 of Africans now live in countries where there is at least 5.5% economic growth, including Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Botswana.

 

Continuing another 1/3 of Africans live in countries that have extractive industries with minerals of all kinds, growing economically about 8%, including Nigeria. But she warned that the kind of growth in the mineral producing countries like Nigeria is not one that can bring sustainable development, except it is underpinned by good governance. She pointed to the example of Guinea, where progress in good governance has taken the economic growth as far as 27%.

 

While conceding that there is increamental progress in Africa in the area of good governance, including through anti-corruption efforts, she argued that good governance ought not be seen as merely a role for government.

 

"Good governance is much more than government's role but [it includes) all that forms the bedrock of how a society can organise its activities in a predictable way," according to the former Nigeria's Education Minister.

 

On corruption in African countries, the World Bank VP said there is a supply and demand side to the corruption issue on a global scale since what she called "bribe-exporting countries" take the stolen loot to developed countries. Said she it was discovered by the Transparency International that "majority of the OECD countries are the bribe takers when we took an index."

 

Speaking in a similar vein, Kase Lawal it's time for the African renaissance, and Nigerians and all Africans should expect that for that to happen there would be struggle and conflict between the traditionalists and modernists. But he warned quoting a famous line that "insanity is doing the same thing over and again and expecting different results."

 

Endorsing Ezekwesili's speech, Lawal said "we 've got to change the way things are done." Nigeria's focus should now be collective leadership, responsibility and purposeful vision. He said to leaders that the time is short and therefore there is no luxury to waste the time.

 

According to Lawal "as the opportunity opens [for Nigeria and Africa), it can be closed if we do nothing. Let us work to make the African renaissance a reality, it can be done and our people expect it." 

 

In his acceptance speech, Kase Lawal expressed his appreciation for being selected by the Nigerian lawyers for the 2007 Merit Ward of the association, adding that while it has been a privilege to have been recognised by his peer in the US and international scenes, he considers it an honor to be honored by "fellow accomplished Nigerians" like the NLA members. The NLA he said is a group of worthy ambassadors of Nigeria in the USA.

 

She also openly expressed gratitude to his wife of 22 years, who he said "has always been a constant" in his life. He described his company CAMAC as a corporation of partnership, which marked its 20th anniversary last year. CAMAC is headquartered in Houston, with offices in Nigeria, South Africa and Venezuela.