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.
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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