The company, M&G AND YINKTEX TECHNOLOGY, is a Computer Engineering firm whose services are majored in maintenance / repair, sales / supplies of computer systems and accessories. We also run services in networking, server management, CCTV installation, manpower training and consultancy.

AIMS
M&G was formed with the main object of utilizing a multi disciplinary approach to its client’s services in order to provide its client with an integrated means of meeting needs.
Therefore, we provide to our client whether large or small enterprises, a complete and unique service and invariably to add value to their operations.

OBJECTIVES
The company virtually has six (6) different services namely:
? Maintenance and Repairs of Computer Systems – hardware & software
? Sales and Supplies of Computer systems
? Installation and Configuration of Computer System, Internet Services, P.A.B.S etc.
? Networking………………………………..LAN & WAN
? Server Management………SERVER 2000,2003 and 2008
? Manpower Training
? Maintenance and Repairs of computer systems
? Networking
? CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Association
? CCNP: Cisco Certified Network Professional
? MCITP: Microsoft Certified IT professional
? Computer Appreciation: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel Draw, Auto cad, etc
? Consultancy

OUR VISION
“To be world class firm, highly innovative and technologically driven, and providing quality solution to our numerous clients across the globe.”

The Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics (ASUP) has revealed
that its ongoing strike is about
several developmental problems
in Nigeria’s polytechnics which
the Minister of Education is
deliberately ignoring.
National President of ASUP,
Chibuso
Asomugha, speaking on Channels
Television’s Sunrise, said that
what the
association has done was to call
the
attention of government to the
deterioration in the polytechnics
and
strengthen the capacity of the
schools
in order to raise the integrity of
the
products of Nigerian
polytechnics.
He said that the main issues they
were
agitating for include
infrastructure,
facilities, school categorization,
payment of lecturers’ arrears,
legal
framework of polytechnics, and
the
integrity of the polytechnic
graduates,
but the Minister of Education has
tried
to narrow all the issues down to
their
financial demands.
Secretary General of ASUP, Usman
Nda-Umar, who was also on the
programme, said that the
decision of
the Minister to ignore other key
issues
was a deliberate action to
blackmail
the association. He revealed that
at
the last meeting held with the
Minister, the association made it
known that they wanted a
discussion
on other issues of concern but
the
Minister said no.
Asomugha also referred to the ill-
fated Immigration recruitment
exercise where it was alleged
that
Polytechnic graduates were
categorised along with
Secondary
School Certificate (SSCE) holders
and
given the same exam, while
university
graduates were given a different
exam; a development he said
was
among the major issues they are
bent
on fighting.
He further revealed that the
Minister
has been a major source of
setback in
the process of resolving the crisis
in
the system. He alleged acts of
highhandedness and refusal to
see
reasons with the association.
Nda-Umar said that the
Government
has shown that it was not
interested
in technical education and for
there to
be a general change in the
perception
of Nigerians about the quality
polytechnic education; the
Government would have to lay
the
example.

The federal ministry of interior on thursday announced that aptitude test for recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration service (NIS) will hold Saturday, March 15th , 2014 nationwide.

Below are the Immigration Interview Centres And Venues

1. Abia – Ibeku High School, Umuahia

2. Adamawa – Trade Fair Complex, Jalingo

3. Akwa Ibom – Community Commercial School, Uyo

4. Anambra – Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

5. Bauchi – Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi

6. Bayelsa – Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa

7. Benue – IBB Square, Makurdi

8. Borno – Abubakar Umar Stadium, Gombe

9. Cross River – Federal Government Girls’ College, Calabar

10. Delta – Event Centre, Asaba

11. Ebonyi – Abakiliki Stadium, Abakiliki

12. Edo – Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City

13. Ekiti – Olukayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti

14. Enugu – Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu

15. FCT – National Stadium, Abuja

16. Gombe – Abubakar Umar Stadium, Gombe

17. Imo – Ahia Ajoku Centre, Owerri

18. Jigawa – Government Commercial Secondary School, Dutse

19. Kaduna – Murtala Square, Kaduna

20. Kano – Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, Kano

21. Katsina – Federal College of Education, Katsina

22. Kebbi – Haliru Abdu Stadium, Birnin Kebbi

23. Kogi – Township Stadium, Lokoja

24. Kwara – University of Illorin Sports Stadium, Illorin

25. Lagos – National Stadium, Surulere

26. Nasarawa – College of Agriculture, Lafia

27. Niger – Government Day Secondary School, Minna

28. Ogun – Muda Lawal Stadium, Abeokuta

29. Ondo – Nigerian Army Barracks, Akure

30. Osun – St. Charles Technical College, Osogbo

31. Oyo – Liberty Stadium, Ibadan
32. Plateau – Command College, Zaria Road, Jos

33. Rivers – Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt

34. Sokoto – Immigration Command and Staff College, Sokoto

35. Taraba – Township Stadium, Jalingo

36. Yobe – Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi

37. Zamfara – Sambo Gov’t Sec. School, Tudun Wada, Gusau
GOODLUCK TO ALL WRITING THE TEST!!!

Reconciling the wish to prioritise societal and development goals with growing pressures to perform on other core missions has emerged as a major dilemma for universities in “The World Beyond 2015”, a campaign of the Association of Commonwealth Universities to raise awareness of why and how higher education should respond to global challenges.

Academics and institutions from around the world have made submissions to the campaign, which has the subtitle “Is higher education ready?”

This is a key question for a sector that was marginalised in the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, and which has been vigorously arguing that it has an essential role to play in helping to achieve international development goals.

If higher education finds recognition in new targets being formulated during the course of this year to replace the expiring MDGs – either as a goal in its own right, or via explicit recognition that the sector is intrinsic to all new goals – it had better be prepared.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities, or ACU, which represents 500 member universities in countries across the Commonwealth, believed it was imperative for higher education to begin considering the implications of the new international agenda and how institutions could respond to the new goals as they emerged.

Work needed

Dr John Kirkland, deputy secretary general of the ACU, said considerable damage had been done to higher education 15 years ago, when the international development community prioritised other areas of education, especially primary education.

“For a while, in many parts of the world, higher education went into serious decline,” he told University World News. “Now, having established itself as a genuine development activity, higher education wants this to be recognised in any successor to the MDG goals.

“It is crucial that a holistic approach is taken.”

Six questions were devised to frame the debate while new international goals were being decided, said Kirkland, and a call was put out for individuals and institutions to contribute to the debate through submissions.

As expected, most submissions have been from people already active in the area. But “The World Beyond 2015. Is higher education?” is not just about illustrating how universities are currently supporting development, and championing their cause.

“One could have a huge campaign that just gets more examples of what universities are doing. But we don’t want the campaign to be just about that. We also want it to be an opportunity for universities to look at themselves.

“It is a challenge to universities regarding whether their systems are ready for mass higher education, and regarding their research and community engagement systems in a world in which higher education plays a leading role in development activity,” Kirkland said.

“What we are finding is that universities, particularly in developing countries, are still very much devising systems to support a lot of development-oriented activities.” This despite the fact that community engagement and extension work – for instance in agriculture – had been in the missions of African universities longer than for UK universities.

Further, Kirkland told University World News: “Although universities speak about the ‘third strand’, in practice this work still tends to be at the periphery.

“A big question emerging is whether one should centralise that. And what are the incentives to take part? What is the equivalent of publications in research? Is it supported by a central office and highlighted in annual reports?

“What we are finding in all countries is a continuing dilemma in how far to prioritise these aspects.”

Universities everywhere were under huge pressure, Kirkland continued. “In the past 20 years universities have had to get used to constraints on the time of their staff – an environment in which time has real opportunity cost.

“If universities want to prioritise societal and development goals, we have to find some way of reconciling this with other core activities. With a finite amount of time and allocation, we have to make sure that development goals are embedded in the university.

“This is a challenge for universities as much as it is for outside organisations.”

The six questions, and some answers

A document recently produced by the ACU looked at submissions so far in relation to the six questions that that frame “The World Beyond 2015” campaign.

1- Why does the Post-2015 agenda matter for higher education?
The ACU quotes Ian Thornton, deputy director of the UK Collaborative on Development Sciences, thus: “The MDGs have been criticised for being an international framework written by a select few in a New York basement.

“Millions of dollars and unthinkable man-hours have gone into making the post-2015 process globally consultative. Higher education institutions now have a fantastic opportunity and responsibility to continue this open, discursive agenda wherever they are.”

2- How are universities already addressing local, national and international issues?
A range of case studies from numerous countries highlight the impact of universities on local communities and beyond – such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s user-friendly water filter and the Group of Eight universities in Australia’s involvement in the global fight against malaria.

3- How can universities prepare to respond to the Post-2015 agenda?
Submissions, the ACU document says, point to numerous important issues for universities and those who fund and support them.

“Universities need to prepare their students – through, for example, broader science training and enhancing graduate employability – as well as reform themselves, by boosting the participation of women in senior roles and refocusing on their historic mission to serve the world, despite changing societal demands.”

4- What partnerships should universities establish to achieve their objectives?
The responses to the campaign so far have highlighted the need for a range of partners – such as business, civil society, NGOs and other universities – to leverage research for maximum impact.

“Successful partnerships increase the impact of research and foster productive links with communities and policy-makers. They also have a role to play in supporting students, through enhancing teaching and learning and improving employability,” says the ACU.

It quotes Chris Roche, of La Trobe University in Australia, as saying: “If you are interested in these kinds of issues, working on your own, even if you are a large cashed-up university, is simply not going to work.”

5- How can universities champion their contributions to wider society?
Universities need to engage their publics, and communication is key. Paul Geswindt, of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa, said: “There are many stories to be told not just about teaching, research and engagement but also students and staff and the communities and issues they represent.”

6- How relevant and realistic are the Post-2015 goals likely to be?
Five ‘transformative shifts’ identified by the United Nations High-Level Panel “have added a new dimension to the post-2015 process”, according to the ACU – “and the targets themselves may look very different to the MDGs”.

Within the ‘illustrative goals’ already developed, and the ‘transformative shifts’, the ACU is asking universities what specific interventions and targets higher education can deliver, and what support universities need in order to deliver them.

The role of universities

In a background paper, the ACU points out that there is plenty of evidence of universities and research institutions playing “a huge role in development terms” as agents to address international development goals.

“The view from the Commonwealth Secretariat is that higher education is inextricably connected to prospects for development, through the teaching, research and engagement capacities intrinsic to the university system.”

“The connection between universities’ capacity to effect social change and the specific targets set out by the UN in 2000 has been apparent to global leaders in the higher education sector for some time.”

While some were advocating higher education as a discrete goal, to which funds could be directed for specific support, others were pushing for the recognition that higher education is intrinsic to all new goals.

“The role of the Beyond 2015 campaign is not to declare the best approach, but instead to convene leading lights and active members of the higher education community in the discussion, to better incorporate the experiences of the past decade in informing progress towards the next.”

Biblical University Centre For E-Learning And Distance Education. Free Tuition, Free Course, And Free Application

Applying is free if you fill out and email an application. Go here: www. biblicaluniversity.org to download a paper copy, or send request for a paper copy to admissions @biblicaluniversity.org

If you have any question, please feel free to call our admissions helpline at +234-802-535-1268

Like Us here:
facebook.com/ BiblicalUniversity

Follow Us here:
twitter.com/ BiblicalUni

Link with Our Blog News and more
biblicaluniversity. blogspot.com

Admissions Office
5, Dele Osinibi Crescent, Tunwase drive, P.O. Box 2249, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria +234-706-375-1540, 08715283549 (Fax) admissions@ biblicaluniversity.org, 234

Introduction

Welcome to Biblical University and College of Ministry & Seminary. BU is a vibrant, innovative, Christ-centered community that engages students in spiritual and intellectual growth through distance education and external degree programme throughout the world. Unlike traditional universities, our curriculum is specifically designed for distance learning success.

BU offers the highest quality education in a flexible, supportive community where students gain the most relevant, real-world knowledge to help them transform their lives.

At BU you decide your learning option to enable you study at home or at work. You choose a learning option that you want to study from. No classroom attendance is required, no matter which learning option you choose to study from.

BU will send the entire course lectures, e-books, assignments, tests, research topics, reference links etc…by email free of charge. Certificate, Credit transcript, and recommendation letter will be mailed thereafter the successful completion of your course.

Distance Learning

Christ-Centred Community.

Free Tuition, Free Course, And Free Application.

BU is an undergraduate and graduate level, coeducational, Christian liberal arts university, and seeks to train leaders for Church, Society and Business globally, to model Christian community and to help each person here grow spiritually and personally as well as intellectually.

BU is accredited by the Federation of Theological Institutions International. Approved by the Association of Christian Colleges and Universities, fully owned and operated by the Christ Kingdom International Church, and affiliated to Christ International Divinity College in association with Acadia Divinity College and Acadia University.

Experiential Learning Degree

BU awards degree for relevant knowledge or skill that you have acquired through professional and life experiences.

Applicant will also go through the normal admission procedures and include the same information as other students. In addition, you will be required to submit a formal, complete and professional resume describing all career experiences and positions held.

Include any formal or informal training in which you participated that was related to your professional activities.

If you are interested in pursuing a degree by experience, contact the Admissions Office

Honorary Doctorate Degree

Biblical University awards honorary doctorate degrees to qualified individuals.

Applicant will also go through the normal admission procedures and include the same information as other students.

Ordination And Licence

Become a legally ordained and licensed minister. Just ask us for more information.

Email us with your request at Admissions Office

Applying is free if you fill out and email an application. Go here: www. biblicaluniversity.org/ to download a paper copy, or send request for a paper copy to admissions @biblicaluniversity.org

If you have any question, please feel free to call our admissions helpline at +234-802-535-1268

Free Tuition, Free Course, And Free Application at Biblical University in Nigeria, West Africa. Biblical University Centre For E-Learning And Distance Education. Free Tuition, Free Course, And Free Application Applying is free if you fill out and email an application. Go here: www. biblicaluniversity.org to download a paper copy, or send request for a paper copy to admissions @biblicaluniversity.org If you have any question, please feel free to call our admissions helpline at +234-802-535-1268 Like Us here: facebook.com/ BiblicalUniversity Follow Us here: twitter.com/ BiblicalUni Link with Our Blog News and more biblicaluniversity. blogspot.com Admissions Office 5, Dele Osinibi Crescent, Tunwase drive, P.O. Box 2249, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria +234-706-375-1540, 08715283549 (Fax) admissions@ biblicaluniversity.org, 234 Introduction Welcome to Biblical University and College of Ministry & Seminary. BU is a vibrant, innovative, Christ-centered community that engages students in spiritual and intellectual growth through distance education and external degree programme throughout the world. Unlike traditional universities, our curriculum is specifically designed for distance learning success. BU offers the highest quality education in a flexible, supportive community where students gain the most relevant, real-world knowledge to help them transform their lives. At BU you decide your learning option to enable you study at home or at work. You choose a learning option that you want to study from. No classroom attendance is required, no matter which learning option you choose to study from. BU will send the entire course lectures, e-books, assignments, tests, research topics, reference links etc…by email free of charge. Certificate, Credit transcript, and recommendation letter will be mailed thereafter the successful completion of your course. Distance Learning Christ-Centred Community. Free Tuition, Free Course, And Free Application. BU is an undergraduate and graduate level, coeducational, Christian liberal arts university, and seeks to train leaders for Church, Society and Business globally, to model Christian community and to help each person here grow spiritually and personally as well as intellectually. BU is accredited by the Federation of Theological Institutions International. Approved by the Association of Christian Colleges and Universities, fully owned and operated by the Christ Kingdom International Church, and affiliated to Christ International Divinity College in association with Acadia Divinity College and Acadia University. Experiential Learning Degree BU awards degree for relevant knowledge or skill that you have acquired through professional and life experiences. Applicant will also go through the normal admission procedures and include the same information as other students. In addition, you will be required to submit a formal, complete and professional resume describing all career experiences and positions held. Include any formal or informal training in which you participated that was related to your professional activities. If you are interested in pursuing a degree by experience, contact the Admissions Office Honorary Doctorate Degree Biblical University awards honorary doctorate degrees to qualified individuals. Applicant will also go through the normal admission procedures and include the same information as other students. Ordination And Licence Become a legally ordained and licensed minister. Just ask us for more information. Email us with your request at Admissions Office Applying is free if you fill out and email an application. Go here: www. biblicaluniversity.org/ to download a paper copy, or send request for a paper copy to admissions@ biblicaluniversity.org If you have any question, please feel free to call our admissions helpline at +234-802-535-1268

(CNN) – President Barack Obama delivered remarks Wednesday in Chicago. Read below for a transcript of Obama’s remarks.

OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

(APPLAUSE)

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I want to thank every American who participated in this election…

(APPLAUSE)

… whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time.

(APPLAUSE)

By the way, we have to fix that.

(APPLAUSE)

Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone…

(APPLAUSE)

… whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.

I just spoke with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign.

(APPLAUSE)

We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady.

(APPLAUSE)

Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And I’m so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog’s probably enough.

(LAUGHTER)

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics…

(APPLAUSE)

The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.

(APPLAUSE)

But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the life-long appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley.

(APPLAUSE)

You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you put in.

(APPLAUSE)

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else.

OBAMA: You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity.

(APPLAUSE)

You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift.

(APPLAUSE)

You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse whose working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

(APPLAUSE)

That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

(APPLAUSE)

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers.

(APPLAUSE)

A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

OBAMA: We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.

(APPLAUSE)

We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this – this world has ever known.

(APPLAUSE)

But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being. We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.

(APPLAUSE)

To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.

(APPLAUSE)

To the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president – that’s the future we hope for. That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go – forward.

(APPLAUSE)

That’s where we need to go.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.

By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin. Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over.

(APPLAUSE)

And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.

(APPLAUSE)

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual.

(APPLAUSE)

You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizens in our Democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.

(APPLAUSE)

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth.

OBAMA: The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.

(APPLAUSE)

I am hopeful tonight because I’ve seen the spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.

I’ve seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.

(APPLAUSE)

I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.

(APPLAUSE)

And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.

(APPLAUSE)

I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own.

And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future.

(APPLAUSE)

I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

(APPLAUSE)

America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.

(APPLAUSE)

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.

(APPLAUSE)