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.
4. On an occasion like this, it is
important that we remember all the precious souls that have been lost in the
unprecedented war of terror unleashed on some parts of our country by these
individuals who want to compel us to live our lives their way. They
will not succeed!
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 Boardwhich
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 theNigerian
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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