PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN' S 2014 INDEPENDENCE DAY SPEECH

2014 Independence Day Broadcast by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,
GCFR
Wednesday 1st October, 2014
Fellow Nigerians:
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.
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.
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.
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!
In their mission, they have maimed and raped. They have
killed men, women and children, rendering many children
orphans and several women widows.
They have made violence their ideology and are bent on
destroying our country. Dear countrymen and women, we
will not allow them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
To me, the National Conference is the greatest centenary
gift to our country that we must cherish and sustain.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The success of these policies is already evident in the
increased value addition in the agricultural and
manufacturing sectors.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Modern hybrid schools are being provided for less
privileged children across the country, resulting in
significant increase in the national school enrolment figure
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We are one people from the womb of one Nigeria. We
are brothers and sisters. We are one family. We are
Nigerians.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.