2014 Independence Day Broadcast by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
Wednesday 1st October, 2014
Fellow Nigerians:
1.
Today marks the 54th anniversary of our country’s independence as a sovereign
nation. This is also the tenth month of our journey into a new century,
having marked the centenary of our nation in January this year.
2.
The first one hundred years were marked by triumphs and tribulations, benefits
and burdens, opportunities and challenges. We made some far reaching
advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation. We also
overcame the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil
war. We have also renewed our faith in one another, and in our country.
We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.
3.
In my address to the nation last year, I did emphasize that we were in a sober
moment in our country. We are still in that mood in spite of the many
accomplishments of our administration. Our sombreness has to do with the crises
of nationhood occasioned by the activities of terrorist elements who have done
the unimaginable to challenge our unity as a people.
5.
In their mission, they have maimed and raped. They have killed men, women and
children, rendering many children orphans and several women widows.
6.
They have made violence their ideology and are bent on destroying our country.
Dear countrymen and women, we will not allow them.
7.
Night after night, day after day, our security forces continue to engage the
terrorists in battle. My gratitude goes out to our armed forces whose will has
been greatly challenged by this insurgency more than any other time, since the
civil war.
8.
Yet, they have remained undaunted and unwearied in the face of constant
challenge and mortal danger. Driven by patriotic zeal, they are turning the
tide by their prowess and determination. As Commander-in-Chief, I will continue
to do all it takes to enable them to keep on inflicting devastating blows at
the heart of terror. Fellow Nigerians, it is our collective duty as patriots to
avail our men and women in uniform of all the support they need to fight and
win this war.
9.
This Administration is committed to making Nigeria safe for all Nigerians,
irrespective of our places of birth, how we worship God and our political
persuasion. To all those waging war against our country, I ask that you lay
down your arms and embrace peace.
10. To those who have genuine
grievances, I affirm that Nigeria will listen to you, if you bring your
grievances to the table of dialogue. To the good people of Nigeria, let me
restate that our task of building a better and greater country must not waver.
11. While we continue to
deploy our resources in the fight against the terrorists, we do recognize the
great toll the conflict is taking on our people.
12. This is why, to assist the
afflicted, we have launched the Victims Support Fund, an independent
multi-sectoral charity, which will aggressively solicit resources to augment
Government’s statutory intervention, in bringing succour to the injured, the
displaced and the bereaved.
13. In partnership with
Nigerian business leaders and international partners, we have also introduced
the Safe Schools Initiative which is aimed at promoting safe environments for
education nationwide, starting with the North East region.
14. The Presidential
Initiative for the North East, a comprehensive programme to fast-track the
economic restoration of this region, which has been the epicentre of terrorist
activity, has been set up.
15. Our overall
objective is to do all we possibly can, to sustain in the North-East, the
momentum of economic advancement, which is on-going in other parts of the
country, despite the machinations of the terrorists and their sponsors.
16. It should now be clear to
anyone who was ever in doubt that these terrorists do not mean well for anyone,
of whatever religion or dispensation. Their persistent choice of the weakest
and most vulnerable in society, for gruesome attack, provides an insight into their
abnormal mind-set.
17. I urge every
Nigerian to put aside political, sectional or other parochial considerations,
and support whole-heartedly the efforts of the government and the military, in
checking this evil.
18. We are grateful to
the international community, and especially our neighbours who are working
closely with us in confronting this challenge, for their increased partnership
and solidarity. Our steady progress in weakening the insurgency has certainly
justified our cooperation.
19. Fellow Nigerians, in my
independence anniversary address last year, I informed you that we had taken
cognizance of the suggestion over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the
need to focus attention on rebuilding and strengthening the ligaments of our
union. It was in that regard that we announced the convening of a National
Dialogue on the future of our beloved country.
20. We have successfully
delivered on that promise as we established the 2014 National Conference headed
by Justice Legbo Kutigi. After months of deliberations, which did not come
without its challenges, the conference concluded its assignment and has handed
its Report to me.
21. I have made a firm
commitment that we would act on the recommendations of the conference. This, I
have started by setting up the Ministerial Committee headed by the Honourable
Attorney General of the Federation to work out the modalities for implementing
the Report. Every promise I make, God willing, I will see to its fulfilment. I
assure you, we shall implement the report.
22. One major lesson which the
2014 National Conference has taught us as a country is that, a multi-ethnic
country like ours, must learn to embrace painstaking dialogue until consensus
is established.
23. To me, the National
Conference is the greatest centenary gift to our country that we must cherish
and sustain.
24. Fellow Nigerians, our 54
year-journey as a nation has not been easy. There have been tough periods, but
the Nigerian spirit and the unflagging resilience of our people have seen us
through. We will continue to march forward to greater heights.
25. We have been able to
sustain a big, strong and influential country with a robust economy. We are
currently in our sixteenth year of uninterrupted democratic rule, daily
improving on the consolidation of our democratic process.
26. Our Administration has
made a commitment to ensure that we build and sustain a democratic
infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections. International and local
observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and
we cannot afford to relent.
27. We will continue to ensure
that the will of the electorate prevails so that political leaders would be
reminded at all times that there is a day of reckoning when they have to go
back to the people at the polls. Election days must not be days of violence and
death. We must remain vigilant to ensure that our electoral process is
characterised by peace, security and transparency.
28. I enjoin the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), all security agencies, politicians and
the electorate to work conscientiously and peacefully, together, to consolidate
on the gains of the recent elections. Free and fair elections have come to
stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people.
29. My dear countrymen and
women, occasions such as this present an opportunity to thank God for our
country and to report to you, on our journey so far.
30. Our power sector reform is
on course with the ultimate objective of generating enough electricity to power
our homes, industries and businesses. We are making giant strides in the
Agricultural Sector which we are re-positioning to diversify our economy. We
will continue to upgrade our infrastructure to make life easier for all and
create an enabling environment for enterprise to flourish.
31. Over the last four years,
the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the Oil and Gas Sector has ensured
major increase in the participation of indigenous Oil and Gas companies in the
industry. Several critical infrastructure projects have been commissioned and
commenced. The level of indigenous asset ownership has greatly increased and
utilisation of Nigerian-owned and built assets such as marine vessels and rigs
is being progressively enforced.
32. There has been maximised
local value addition by encouraging the manufacture of equipment components and
parts within the country. There has also been massive growth in
indigenous participation in the provision of goods and services to the upstream
sector from 10% to 60% within the last four years.
33. Today, following the
rebasing of our economy, every international monitoring and ratings agency now
acknowledges Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa, with a Gross Domestic
Product of five hundred and ten billion dollars ($510 billion) which also
places us as the 26th largest economy in the world. This is progress.
34. Earlier in the year, we
launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National
Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) with the stated objective of fast
tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and
industrialisation.
35. The success of these
policies is already evident in the increased value addition in the agricultural
and manufacturing sectors.
36. In line with our objective
of encouraging the production of made-in-Nigeria vehicles and making Nigeria a
regional hub for the automobile industry, a number of foreign auto
manufacturers have established plants in Nigeria, complementing the laudable
efforts of our local vehicle manufacturers who have also demonstrated great
innovation and competitiveness.
37. We have also launched a
special support programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with an
initial intervention fund of two hundred and twenty billion naira (N220
b). This is in addition to the Presidential Job Creation Board which I
inaugurated recently with the charge to create three million jobs annually.
38. In demonstration of our
Administration’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit, we have
commenced the new mortgage re-finance programme with the establishment of the
Nigerian Mortgage Re-finance Company. It is expected that, in addition to
creating additional housing units across the country, this initiative also
represents a huge job creation opportunity.
39. We have recorded notable
success in the social sector. Nigeria has been globally acknowledged for
reducing extreme hunger by more than half, with the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) formally presenting the country with an award for achieving
the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target
date set for the Millennium Development Goals.
40. This progress is as a
result of the deliberate policy of government to increase capacity in our
agricultural sector of which the first step was to address and eliminate the graft
in our fertilizer procurement system and ensure that the product gets directly
to the farmer. We are expanding our irrigation infrastructure to ensure
that our farmers have sufficient water supply for dry season farming.
41. A benefit of these
combined actions is that our national food import bill has declined from 1.1
trillion naira (6.9 billion dollars) in 2009 to 684.7 billion naira (4.35
billion dollars) by December 2013, and continues to decline.
42. Modern hybrid schools are
being provided for less privileged children across the country, resulting in
significant increase in the national school enrolment figure
43. In order to further
enhance access to education at the tertiary level, fourteen new Federal
Universities have been established; and, to encourage persons of exceptional
abilities, our Administration has also introduced a Presidential Scholarship
Scheme based strictly on excellence and merit.
44. On infrastructure, we are
building roads, bridges, and new rail lines to make it easier to traverse
Nigeria and increase the integration of our people and our ability to do
business with each other. In this regard, we have commenced the process of
building the Second Niger Bridge. The Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue in Nasarawa
and Benue States, will significantly reduce travel time by road between
Northern and Southern Nigeria. The on-going dredging of the River Niger up to
Baro in Niger State is opening up large parts of the Nigerian hinterland to
maritime activity.
45. The Zungeru and Mambilla
Hydro-electric power projects are on course, and the Kashimbilla dam which we
started a few years ago, is nearing completion. The successful privatisation of
our power sector will in the long run enhance industrial growth. Policies such
as this and others have raised Nigeria to the enviable status of being the
number one recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa in the past
year.
46. The result of this
infrastructure drive is that two and a half million jobs have been created over
the past two years. This is a record, which we are committed to improve upon to
continue to provide jobs for our youth.
47. An unprecedented number of
Airports across the country, are not only being reconstructed at the same time,
but being re-equipped and reassessed with emphasis on maintaining global
standards.
48. Fellow Nigerians, the
goals we set to achieve for our country involve expanding the frontiers of
economic freedom. Let us therefore unite with one heart and one mind. All our
people must have access to the good things of life. All our people must be
empowered to pursue the gift of life with happiness. This is our country; we
must build it for our common posterity.
49. As we move into an election
year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are becoming a regular
occurrence. Our political leaders in particular must know that the
contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity.
50. The contest for the
leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable
spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions.
51. We must remain committed
to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters. The
protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of
thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal.
52. I cannot end this address
without commenting on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which was sadly
brought into our country recently. My directives to the Federal Ministry of
Health saw the ministry leading the charge in curtailing the spread of this
deadly scourge and managing its impact. This is how it should be: swift,
effective and comprehensive action in defence of citizens.
53. It must be pointed out
that the Ebola battle is still raging elsewhere in our sub-region. I therefore
enjoin all our citizens to continue to adhere strictly to all the guidelines
that have been given by our health officials to keep Ebola out of our country.
54. I appreciate and welcome
the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the
threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working
together to prevent what could have become a major epidemic. I
particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate
sacrifice.
55. This is the spirit which
we must demonstrate at all times as we face up to our challenges as a nation:
one people, united by a common resolve, in the pursuit of one common national
interest.
56. As we look forward to
another year in our national life, I am more than confident that our tomorrow
will be better than our yesterday and today. Nigeria has got the human and
material resources to excel and we shall lead the way in that journey to our
manifest destiny.
57. Fellow countrymen,
brothers and sisters, in all our plans, and in all our words and our actions,
we must stand together in love and unity, as one people under God.
58. We are one people from the
womb of one Nigeria. We are brothers and sisters. We are one family. We are
Nigerians.
59. God bless the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
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