Nigerian Consul General Chudi Okafor, second from right, celebrates independence. Others who can be seen are Bayo Hambolu, wife of the consul in charge of immigration, on left; Mrs. Okafor; Mr. Okafor and Martin Cobham, consul in charge of commerce and economy. photo by Phil Bolton

Atilogwu Troupe performed at the anniversary dinner. photo by Phil Bolton

Nigerians living in the Southeast, who celebrated the 47th anniversary of their country’s independence from Great Britain at a dinner in Alpharetta on Oct. 1 were equally focused on the future.

Chudi Okafor, Nigeria’s consul general in Atlanta, told the guests at the Metropolitan Club that his government would put in place policies enabling the country to have one of the largest economies in the world by 2020.

Michael Okoroafor, director of global packaging technology services at the Coca-Cola Co., made a similar claim during his remarks.

Both men have a 2005 study by the international investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to back them up.

According to the study, Nigeria is to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world in the next 10 years surpassing the rate of growth of Brazil, China, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico and Turkey.

By 2020, according to the report, it is to be among the 25 largest economies in the world, and by 2025, it is to be in the top 20.

Mr. Okafor also cited financial sector reform in his country, saying that it “has been adjudged by the World Bank as an excellent model. Today, Nigeria has achieved debt-free status from the Paris and London Clubs of creditors.”

His remark drew a round of applause for his reference to the country’s payment last year of its multi-billion-dollar debt to the Paris Club, including the United Kingdom, Russia and Germany among 19 foreign creditor nations. Shortly afterwards, Nigeria paid off its London Club creditors, including institutional and private sector commercial debt.

The controversial move, which was enabled by record oil prices, has prompted calls for greater government spending on infrastructure, healthcare and education, and is hoped will prompt greater foreign investment.

Among the country’s economic priorities, Mr. Okafor cited: privatization of some public enterprises, diversification away from oil and gas, emphasis on agriculture and small- and medium-scale industries, tourism, solid minerals and infrastructural development.

While placing a positive accent on the future, the consul general acknowledged the country’s turbulent past. But he put a positive spin on the recent election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the first-ever civilian-to-civilian transition to democracy in the country’s 47-year history.

He also mentioned the political and economic problems that Nigerians have in the Niger Delta, the source of the country’s oil and an unstable area experiencing inter-ethnic clashes. “The present administration is poised to make the neglect of the zone over the years, a thing of the past,” he said.

On a lighter note, he said that Atlanta would always be important to Nigerians because Nigeria won the soccer competition in the 1996 Olympic Games. And he couldn’t resist pointing out that Nigeria also won this year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament in Seoul, Korea.