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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