ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN, GCFR, ON THE
OCCASION OF NIGERIA’S 51ST INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY- 1ST OCTOBER 2011
Fellow Compatriots,
On this day 51 years ago, the British Union
Jack was lowered and replaced by our national Green-White-Green flag,
heralding the independence of our nation. The 1st of October remains a
special day for us, for Africa, and indeed the world.
As we
celebrate today, we remember with pride, the nationalism and patriotism
that inspired our founding fathers and the Nigerian people. They set
aside their differences, to secure the unity and independence of our
great country.
That is the Nigerian spirit! For the Nigerian
spirit cannot be broken. We are a resilient nation, determined to chart
a course, through the turbulent waters of nation building. The
Nigerian spirit is vibrant today in the world.
Our citizens at
home and abroad, are making their mark in all fields of human
endeavour. These hard-working and committed Nigerians, remain a source
of pride to us and a beacon of what is achievable, if we remain focused
and determined.
I know that a great number of you are joining hands with me and the Administration, in the great task ahead.
I
value all Nigerians. I see our youth who are looking for jobs and yet
remain hopeful. I see the farmer, and fisherman, toiling everyday to
earn a living. I see the teacher, working hard, to train our future
generations, with much sacrifice. I see the market women whose
entrepreneurial spirit helps to generate income for their children and
families. I see our sportsmen and women training hard to bring glory to
our nation. I see our resilience and commitment, as a nation, to defend
our democracy and secure our future.
I see every single profession and vocation, making positive contributions to national progress. I value you all!
Together,
we shall work for a Nigeria in which democracy and the rule of law are
sacrosanct. A country where corruption and its attendant vices, are
banished. A country where human life is sacred and respected, and where
the rights of the individual are protected.
Nigeria is a young
entity in the comity of nations and yet in her 51 years, she has made
significant strides in making her presence felt all over the world. Our
diplomatic and peacekeeping efforts, in various parts of the continent,
have helped to end conflict and avert crises. In sustaining global
security, our intervention has been crucial to peace, progress and
democracy for the citizens of the affected countries.
The
journey to nationhood always has its own challenges. Nigeria has had her
own share. Our growing pains as a nation have included the civil war,
the June 12 election crisis and restlessness in the Niger Delta. But
Nigeria has always overcome each of these challenges. We overcame
before. We will overcome yet again.
Today, as a nation, there is much for us to celebrate. We celebrate our diversity. We celebrate our entrepreneurial spirit.
We
celebrate our resilience and ability to turn adversity into hope. We
celebrate our culture. For the labours of our heroes past, shall never
be in vain.
As your President, let me reassure all Nigerians that
I remain resolutely committed to the ideals and dreams of our founding
fathers. Let me also reassure Nigerians that I will strongly defend
the peace and stability of our nation.
My administration will
spare no effort in fighting crime, building peace, and securing our
homeland against internal threats and infiltration by violent groups,
from outside our borders.
We condemn all acts of violence and
declare that such acts of mindless savagery shall not be allowed to
define our country. We will not be deterred. Our resolve is strong.
I
have put in place a new and reinvigorated national security strategy,
to combat the threat to our safety. Yet, no matter what I do as your
President and no matter what we do as your elected leaders, at all
levels, the peace and security of our nation rest also on our collective
efforts as citizens, in our various communities.
All leaders
and citizens, in every community, must therefore make peace the number
one priority of their daily routine. This is because, without peace, no
community can realize its objectives or achieve a happy and productive
life for its members.
The current incidents of violence and
terror, in parts of the country, will surely be overcome. We will secure
the safety of our citizens for
only when we do this, will we be able to build the needed peace and tranquility in all parts of the federation.
Securing our peace and stability will ensure economic growth and prosperity for all.
Since
I assumed office, as the President of our great country, I have
continued to focus my attention on the economy. I have taken several
measures to address structural weaknesses which stand between us and
economic growth and prosperity for all.
We are growing our
economy, to generate employment opportunities for our teeming youth and
enhanced prosperity for every citizen. This remains the main focus of
my administration.
In a few days time, I shall launch an
innovative competition for our young entrepreneurs to come up with ways
to expand their businesses, create more jobs, and sharpen their
business skills.
Now, it is very clear that without fundamental
reforms in the key sectors of our economy, we will not be able to fully
unlock our potential as a nation. We must manage our resources more
prudently and efficiently. We must provide stable electricity to our
citizens to help drive economic activity.
I call on our
political leaders to put aside partisan politics, for united action
towards the advancement of our nation. We must build together.
Because
of the measures we have taken on the economy, our GDP is today one of
the fastest growing in Africa. We are currently growing the economy at
7.8%. We expect to sustain an 8% growth rate and a better GDP in the
medium term, on our journey towards realizing our Vision 20:2020 goal.
We shall strive to make this growth, job creating and inclusive.
Growth
in agriculture and other non-oil sectors are crucial, to help
diversify the economy and to generate much needed jobs. Agriculture
remains one of the highest priorities in my government’s Agenda for
National Transformation. We have set out clear, agricultural,
transformation action plans and policy measures, to achieve
self-sufficiency in the production of rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and
other staple foods.
Self-sufficiency in rice alone will save us
the 356 Billion Naira that we currently spend annually importing rice.
We will revamp the way we distribute fertilizers, taking government
out of distribution of fertilizers.
We plan to reach 20 million
farmers with private-sector distributed fertilizers over the next four
years. We will improve the investment environment and incentives for
the private sector across the agricultural value chains. Our
agricultural transformation plan will generate 3.5 million jobs and an
additional 20 million metric tons of food.
But we must all show
pride in our farmers. We should eat what we produce. The increasing
popularity of local products, like ‘Ofada Rice’, ‘Badegi rice’, and
‘Abakaliki Rice’, attest to the fact, that the populace will readily
embrace locally grown produce.
We must also take pride in our
scientists. This week, Nigeria released 8 new high yielding cocoa
varieties. This will help to transform cocoa production, across the 14
cocoa producing states in the nation.
We have put in place
implementable programmes to transform our Nation from an importer of
petroleum products, to the regional hub for exportation of value-added
petroleum and petrochemical products. We are revamping existing
refineries and building three new ones.
We are effectively
supporting the private-sector led construction of world scale
petrochemical and fertilizer plants. This will for the first time in our
history, result in effective monetization of our abundant natural gas
resources while at the same time, creating over a million jobs.
Our potential is huge.
We have the requisite market volume.
We have a youthful, energetic, and hardworking population.
The
structural and managerial bottlenecks, that have obstructed our
economic growth, are being addressed, to unleash the energy and
potentials of this nation.
To achieve this, I am determined to
ensure that Nigerians have reliable electricity. Our economy will grow
faster, and our hard working small businesses will thrive, when we
finally fix the power challenges we face. We are fast tracking power
reforms, to improve the generation and distribution of electricity.
Already,
we are beginning to do things differently. I believe that integrity,
honour, patriotism, selfless service and fear of God, must be the
hallmarks of leadership at all levels.
A nation is sustained by
its institutions and systems. I have taken strong measures to improve on
governance. It is in this regard, that I signed into law, the Freedom
of Information Act. I will further strengthen all institutions, to
ensure greater transparency, probity, and accountability at all levels.
Last
year, I promised to restore confidence in our electoral system and
pledged to deliver free and fair elections. To achieve that, we
initiated some electoral reforms and strengthened INEC and other related
agencies.
As a result, our April 2011 general elections was
adjudged by Nigerians and the international community as the most
transparent and credible elections, ever conducted in our country.
Indeed, post-election petitions reduced by over 50%.
Let me
assure all Nigerians of my resolve to lead our nation into a safer, more
peaceful, and prosperous future for our children.
For the time has come, to rise above ethnic and religious divisions;
The time has come, to unite against violence, in all its ramifications;
The time has come, to secure our peace, and unite against suffering, and deprivation;
I
see a new Nigeria rising. A Nigeria, that is economically strong. A
Nigeria, that takes its rightful place of leadership in the world. A
Nigeria, that uses its diversity to reinforce its strength. A Nigeria,
we all can be proud of.
This is the Nigeria we need and this is the Nigeria, we all must build.
As we celebrate today, let us resolve to build the Nigeria of our future.
I thank you.
God bless you all.
And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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