This is the
national broadcast by Pres. Jonathan on the occasion of Nigeria’s Centenary
Celebrations today Wednesday, 26th February, 2014.
Read his full speech below
Dear
Compatriots,
1. I extend warm greetings and felicitations to
all Nigerians as we celebrate our nation’s centenary; a significant milestone
in our journey to Nationhood.
2. One hundred years ago, on the 1st of
January 1914, the British Colonial authorities amalgamated the Southern and
Northern Protectorates, giving birth to the single geo-political entity called Nigeria
which has become our home, our hope, and our heritage.
3. I have often expressed the conviction that
our amalgamation was not a mistake. While our union may have been inspired by
considerations external to our people; I have no doubt that we are destined by
God Almighty to live together as one big nation, united in diversity.
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4.
I consider myself specially privileged to lead our country into its second
century of existence. And as I speak with you today, I feel the full weight of
our hundred-year history. But what I feel most is not frustration, it is not
disillusionment. What I feel is great pride and great hope for a country that
is bound to overcome the transient pains of the moment and eventually take its
rightful place among the greatest nations on earth.
5. Like every country of the world, we
have had our troubles. And we still do. We have fought a civil war. We have
seen civil authorities overthrown by the military. We have suffered sectarian
violence. And as I speak, a part of our country is still suffering from the
brutal assault of terrorists and insurgents.
6. While the occasion of our centenary
undoubtedly calls for celebration, it is also a moment to pause and reflect on
our journey of the past one hundred years, to take stock of our past and
consider the best way forward for our nation.
7. Even as we celebrate our centenary, we
must realise that in the context of history, our nation is still in its
infancy.
8. We are a nation of the future, not of
the past and while we may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination
of greatness.
9. The amalgamation of 1914 was only the
first step in our national journey. Unification was followed by independence
and democracy which have unleashed the enormous potentials of our people and
laid the foundation for our nation’s greatness.
10. In challenging times, it is easy to become
pessimistic and cynical. But hope, when grounded in realism, enables and
inspires progress. Therefore, as we celebrate our first century of nationhood
and enter a second, we must not lose sight of all that we have achieved since
1914 in terms of nation-building, development and progress.
11. Today, we salute once again the great
heroes of our nation – Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alvan Ikoku,
Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mallam
Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye and Chief Michael Imoudu among others.
12. We must be inspired by our past to overcome
the obstacles we face in the present and honour our forebears by realising the
promise of a Nigeria that is not only independent but also truly unified,
prosperous and admired the world over.
13. The history of Nigeria since independence
is the story of a struggle to fulfill our great promise. The discovery of oil
in our country in the late 1950s offered new hope of prosperity but we have not
always been able to reap the benefits in a fair and equitable way.
14. The situation was not helped by political
instability and the frequent suspension of democracy by military coups. During
the civil war, the very existence of our country was cast into doubt but
through it all, the promise of a Nigeria that is united, free and strong
remained in our people's hearts.
15. Thanks to the efforts of our statesmen and
women, and millions of ordinary Nigerians, the union endured and
flourished. I would like to specifically
commend members of the Armed Forces for their contributions and sacrifices to
keep Nigeria one.
16. General Yakubu Gowon had the wisdom and
grace to declare that the civil war had seen "no victor, no
vanquished" and welcomed, "the dawn of national reconciliation".
17. It was in this spirit that General Olusegun
Obasanjo collected the instruments of surrender at the end of the war and later
became the first military ruler in our country to hand over power voluntarily
to a democratic government.
18. While the Second Republic did not last, his
fine example was later followed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who paved the
way for our current democratic dispensation which has lasted longer than the
previous three put together.
19. As we celebrate our centenary, I believe
that it is vital that we focus our thoughts on the vast potentials of a unified
and progressive Nigeria; and build on the relative stability of the Fourth
Republic to achieve accelerated national socio-economic development.
20. I also believe that the future greatness of
our country is assured by the favourable tail winds of a resilient population,
ecological diversity, rich natural resources and a national consciousness that
rises above our differences.
21. We are a unique country. We have been
brought together in a union like no other by providence. Our nation has evolved
from three regions to thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory.
22. We have transited from the Parliamentary to
a Presidential system of government. We have moved our capital from the coastal
city of Lagos to Abuja, at the centre of our country.
23. Today Abuja stands as a monument to our
national aspiration for greater unity; it symbolises our dream of a modern
nation unhinged from primordial cleavages and designed as a melting pot of our
diversity.
24. If in our first century, we could build a
new capital city, we can surely build a newer, stronger, more united and
prosperous Nigeria in the next century that will be an authentic African
success story.
25. The whole world awaits this African success
story. With our sheer size, population, history, resilience, human and natural
resources and economic potentials, Nigeria is divinely ordained to lead the
African Renaissance.
26. That is why I am confident that in the next
100 years, those who will celebrate Nigeria’s second centenary, will do so as a
united, prosperous and politically stable nation which is truly the pride and
glory of Africa and the entire black race.
27.
The key to the fulfilment of that vision is our continued unity as a
nation. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories of our political evolution in
the last hundred years is that an ordinary child of ordinary parentage from a
minority group has risen to occupy the highest office in our country.
28.
As we march into the next hundred years, it is my hope that mine will no
longer be an extra-ordinary story but an accepted reality of our democracy that
every Nigerian child can pursue his or her dreams no matter how tall; that
every Nigerian child can aspire to any position in our country, and will not be
judged by the language that he speaks or by how he worships God; not by gender
nor by class; but by his abilities and the power of his dreams.
29. I am proud and privileged to have been
elected leader of Nigeria and I consider it my solemn responsibility to act in
the best interest of the nation at all times.
30. Dear compatriots, in line with the thoughts
of that great son of our continent, Nelson Mandela, let us not judge ourselves,
and let not the world judge us by how many times we have stumbled, but by how
strongly we have risen, every single time that we have faltered.
31. Even as we remain resolute in our
conviction that our union is non-negotiable, we must never be afraid to embrace
dialogue and strengthen the basis of this most cherished union. A strong nation
is not that which shies away from those difficult questions of its existence,
but that which confronts such questions, and together provides answers to them
in a way that guarantees fairness, justice and equity for all stakeholders.
32. My call for the National Conference in this
first year of our second century is to provide the platform to confront our
challenges. I am confident that we shall rise from this conference with renewed
courage and confidence to march through the next century and beyond, to
overcome all obstacles on the path to the fulfilment of our globally
acknowledged potential for greatness.
33. I have referred to national leaders who did
so much to build our nation in the past hundred years but nation-building is
not just a matter for great leaders and elites alone.
34. All Nigerians must be involved in this
national endeavour. From the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious
diversities we must continuously weave a vibrant collage of values that
strengthen the Nigerian spirit.
35. The coming National Conference should not
be about a few, privileged persons dictating the terms of debate but an
opportunity for all Nigerians to take part in a comprehensive dialogue to
further strengthen our union.
36. I am hopeful that the conference will not
result in parochial bargaining between competing regions, ethnic, religious and
other interest groups but in an objective dialogue about the way forward for
our nation and how to ensure a more harmonious balance among our three tiers of
government.
37. My dear compatriots, as we celebrate our
centenary, the security situation in some of our North-Eastern States, sadly
remains a major concern for us. Just yesterday, young students, full of hopes
and dreams for a great future, were callously murdered as they slept in their
college dormitories in Yobe State. I am deeply saddened by their deaths and
that of other Nigerians at the hands of terrorists. Our hearts go out to their
parents and relatives, colleagues and school authorities.
38. We will continue to do everything possible
to permanently eradicate the scourge of terrorism and insurgency from our
country. We recognise that the root
cause of militancy, terrorism and insurgency is not the strength of extremist
ideas but corrupted values and ignorance.
39. That is why our counter-terrorism strategy
is not just about enforcing law and order as we have equipped our security
forces to do. It also involves expanding economic opportunities, social
inclusion, education and other measures that will help restore normalcy not
just in the short term, but permanently.
40. I want to reassure Nigerians that
terrorism, strife and insecurity in any part of Nigeria are abhorrent and
unacceptable to us. I urge leaders throughout Nigeria to ensure that ethnicity
and religion are not allowed to become political issues.
41. I hope and pray that one hundred years from
now, Nigerians will look back on another century of achievements during which
our union was strengthened, our independence was enhanced, our democracy was
entrenched and our example was followed by leaders of other nations whose
ambition is to emulate the success of Nigeria; a country that met its
difficulties head-on and fulfilled its promise.
42. Finally, Dear Compatriots, as we enter a
second century in the life of our nation, let us rededicate ourselves to doing
more to empower the youth of our country. Our common heritage and future
prosperity are best protected and guaranteed by them. We must commit our full
energies and resources to empowering them to achieve our collective vision of
greatness in this second century of our nationhood.
43. That is the task before our country; that
is the cause I have chosen to champion and I believe we will triumph.
44. I wish all Nigerians happy Centenary
celebrations.
45. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
46. I thank you.
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