Kanyi Okeke
This is a Nigerian to be proud of, not those who disgrace us at every given opportunity. Kudos Tosin, we are proud of you.
A YOUNG Nigerian is among a selected few U.S. military servicemen
who were sworn in on Friday as U.S. citizens by President Barack Obama
as the country celebrated its Independence Day while also honouring the
commitment of the immigrants to America’s national security.
A White House statement released yesterday morning said Oluwatosin K.
Akinduro, was born in Lagos, but graduated from a high school in
Houston, Texas, where there is a considerable population of Nigerian
immigrants. According to the White House statement, “he joined the Army National
Guard in search of new opportunities and a new challenge to lead by
example.”
At the “naturalisation ceremony for active duty service members,” Obama
picked out a few of the new citizens for mention, including Akinduro.
“We salute a young man from Nigeria who came here as a
child,” Obama said. Obama quoted Akinduro as saying: “I left Nigeria
with the dream that we
all have a destiny in life and we are all born with the resources to
make a difference.” Obama went on: “We are confident he will make a
difference. We congratulate Oluwatosin Akinduro.” Commenting on the
event, which he does yearly as president, Obama noted
that “I have to tell you, just personally, this is one of my favourite
things to do.”
According to him, this is because “it brings me great joy and
inspiration because it reminds us that we are a country that is bound
together not simply by ethnicity or bloodlines, but by fidelity to a set
of ideas. And as members of our military, you raised your hand and took
an oath of service. It is an honour for me to serve as your
Commander-in-Chief. Today, you raised your hand and have taken an oath
of citizenship. And I could not be prouder to be among the first to
greet you as “my fellow Americans.”
