President Goodluck Jonathan reading the national day speech today
Fellow Nigerians
One year ago, I was privileged to stand
before you, to take the oath of office as President of our dear country,
the third to serve you as President since the return to democratic rule
in 1999. Today, I remember that day and the processes leading to it
with profound gratitude to God Almighty and to all Nigerians who have
worked very hard to enrich our journey from military dictatorship to
inclusive democratic governance.
For the past 13 years, we have remained a
stable democracy. We have together demonstrated that the government of
the people is an ideal that the people of Nigeria cherish. We have our
differences as individuals and as politicians, but we have shown great
faith in democracy and its institutions. We have refused to be limited
by our differences. Despite reservations about some of our institutions,
we have refused to submit to despair. This achievement is a testament
to the courage and optimism of the Nigerian people.
As we celebrate this year’s Democracy
Day, I pay tribute to all the men and women who have made our democratic
experience meaningful: the ordinary people who resisted military rule,
and have remained resolute in their embrace of democracy; the army of
Nigerian voters who, at every election season, troop out in large
numbers to exercise their right of franchise; the change agents in civil
society who have remained ever watchful and vigilant.
I pay special tribute also to all
patriots who are the pillars of our collective journey, most especially,
our armed forces who have steadfastly subordinated themselves to civil
authority in the past 13 years. They have continued to demonstrate a
great sense of professionalism. They have discharged their duties to the
nation with honour and valour. In a sub-region that has witnessed
instances of political instability, authored by restless soldiers, the
Nigerian Armed Forces have remained professional in their support of
democracy.
When General Abdusalami Abubakar handed
over the baton of authority to President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 1999, it
was a turning point for Nigeria. We did not arrive at that turning point
by accident. Many Nigerians laid down their lives for the transition to
democracy to occur. Some were jailed. Media houses were attacked and
shut down. But the people’s resolve was firm and unshakeable. This is
what we remember. This is what we celebrate. On this day, I recall
especially the martyrdom of Chief M. K. O. Abiola, whose presumed
victory in the 1993 Presidential election, and death, while in custody,
proved to be the catalyst for the people’s pro-democracy uprising. The
greatest tribute that we can pay to him, and other departed heroes of
Nigeria’s democracy, is to ensure that we continue to sustain and
consolidate our democratic institutions and processes, and keep Hope
alive.
Let us individually and collectively,
continue to keep the spirit of this day alive. No task is more
important. We must continue to do well as a people and as a democracy.
We must remember where we are coming from, so we can appreciate how far
we have travelled.
When I assumed office as Acting
President, in 2010, on account of the health challenges suffered by late
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, there was so much anxiety in the land.
The tone of public debate was febrile. Some persons sought to use the
situation in the country to sow the seeds of discord. My primary task at
that time was to do all that was humanly possible to ensure stability
within the polity. With the support and commitment of patriotic
Nigerians from all walks of life, and the grace of the Almighty God, we
were able to do so.
On May 6, 2010, following President
Yar’Adua’s death, I assumed office as substantive President. I
subsequently presented myself as a candidate for the 2011 Presidential
elections, with a promise that under my watch, the elections would be
free, fair and credible. We kept faith with that promise. On May 29,
2011, I was sworn in as President, the fifth elected leader of Nigeria
since independence. The success of the 2011 elections and the
international acclaim that it generated was due to your patriotic zeal
and commitment. I will like to seize this opportunity to thank all
patriotic Nigerians who stood by us, and have remained unwavering in
their support. These Nigerians understand one thing: that we all have a
duty to protect and promote our country, and that this country belongs
to all of us. Electoral contest is about values. We must not lose sight
of those values that strengthen us as a people. As long as I am
President, I will do my utmost to continue to work hard in pursuit of
the common good.
There are challenges, yes, but we are
working hard to address those challenges. And, by God’s grace, we will
succeed. My confidence is bolstered by the results which we have
achieved in different sectors within the last twelve months.
Our democracy is stable. Its foundation
is strong and firm. Its future is bright. Last year, I had spoken about
the policy of “one man one vote, one woman, one vote, one youth, one
vote”. I am glad to see that the Nigerian people in all elections have
continued to respect the principle of fair play. Since this
administration came into office, we have gone to great lengths to
strengthen our democratic institutions, particularly the Independent
National Electoral Commission. There are still persons who believe that
elections should be violent and unhealthy, but they are in the
minority. They will not derail our democracy because the majority of
Nigerians will not allow them to do so.
Following the spate of violence, in some
parts of the country, after the 2011 elections, our administration set
up a committee on post-election violence to among other things,
investigate the causes and nature of electoral violence and make
appropriate recommendations. We will be guided by the White Paper, on
that committee’s report, in dealing more firmly with electoral violence
and fraud. This will include the establishment of Electoral Offences
Tribunals to deal speedily with established cases of electoral violence.
We cannot afford to treat the success we have recorded with our
democratic experience with levity. Electoral reform is central to our
administration’s transformation agenda. I urge all political parties to
embrace this reform.
Our successful elections, last year,
opened new vistas for Nigeria’s foreign policy. More than ever before,
Nigeria’s achievements have generated a lot of international goodwill
and recognition. We have continued to build on this by further showing
leadership in the sub-region and the African continent. Under my watch
as Chairman of the sub-regional body, ECOWAS, and subsequently, Nigeria
was in the forefront of the efforts to ensure democratic stability in
Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau, and particularly at a critical moment in
Cote d’Ivoire. Our foreign policy process has proven to be dynamic and
pro-active. Nigeria’s place is secure among many friends in the comity
of nations. We are building on that friendship to open up opportunities
for foreign investments in the Nigerian economy and to provide necessary
support for the vibrant community of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
We will continue to work hard, to turn
domestic successes into a source of motivation for greater achievements
in the international arena. We are fully aware that it is only when our
people are happy and confident that they would be in a good position to
walk tall in relating with others.
Today, I want to talk about what we are
doing and what we have done. I want to reassure you that we are making
progress. But we can also do a lot more. We must. And we will.
Our economic outlook is positive. When I
assumed office last year, there were still fears about the impact of
the global economic recession, and implications for investments. Many
Nigerians were worried about the growing rate of unemployment. In order
to set Nigeria on a sound and sustainable path toward economic growth,
this administration unveiled a set of priority policies, programmes, and
projects encapsulated in the Transformation Agenda. These programmes
and policies are aimed at consolidating our budget, fostering job
creation, engendering private sector-led inclusive growth, and creating
an enabling environment for businesses to thrive for the ultimate
betterment of the lives of Nigerians.
Today, progress has been made. The
country’s credit rating is positive, in contrast with many nations being
downgraded. In 2011, our economy grew by 7.45%. As at mid-May 2012,
our foreign exchange reserves had risen to $37.02 billion, the highest
level in 21 months. We have stabilized and improved our fiscal regime.
We brought the fiscal deficit down to 2. 85% of GDP from 2.9% in 2011.
We reduced recurrent expenditures from 74% to 71% and reduced domestic
borrowing from N852 billion in 2011 to N744 billion in 2012. We cut out
over N100 billion of non-essential expenditure and increased our
internally generated revenue from N200 billion to N467 billion.
For the first time in over a decade, we
now have a draft Trade Policy which provides a multi-dimensional
framework to boost our trade regime and facilitate the inflow of
investments. We have generated over N6. 6 trillion worth of investment
commitments. The total value of our trade is also much higher than the
value estimated the previous year due to deliberate government policies.
To facilitate the ease of doing business in Nigeria, we have a policy
in place to make visa procurement easier for foreign investors, with
safeguards to prevent abuse.
The goal of our administration is to
ensure that every Nigerian can find gainful employment. Given my
dissatisfaction with the prevailing unemployment situation in the
country, our administration has embarked on an ambitious strategy of
creating jobs and job-creators through the launch of several initiatives
mainly targeted at the youths and women.
In October 2011, we launched the Youth
Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria Programme, designed to encourage
entrepreneurship and provide grants for small and medium scale
enterprises. Over 1, 200 Nigerian youths have benefitted from this
initiative. We have also launched the Public Works Women and Youth
Empowerment Programme, which is designed to employ 370, 000 youths per
annum, with 30% of the jobs specially reserved for women. Let me make it
clear here that our YouWIN programme is designed to nurture and mentor
young entrepreneurs to become major
We are gradually reducing the footprints
of government in business activities through privatization,
liberalization and deregulation based on our recognition that the
private sector should be the engine of growth in our economy. To ensure
that the private sector is well positioned for this task, our
administration has embarked on key structural reforms in the Power
Sector and at the Ports.
To improve reliable power supply, our
administration is judiciously implementing the Power Sector Roadmap,
which is at an advanced stage, to fully privatize power generation and
distribution while reducing the cost of electricity to rural households
and the urban poor.
The commitment of this Administration to
the provision of regular and uninterrupted power supply remains strong
and unwavering. We all agree that adequate and regular power supply
will be the significant trigger to enhance this nation’s productive
capacity and accelerate growth. It is for this reason that I remain
optimistic that the reforms we have initiated, the decisions we have
taken so far and the plans we intend to faithfully prosecute will yield
the desired results.
To underline this commitment, three
weeks ago, I convened a special session on Power and gave specific
instructions on the fast tracking of gas production and delivery to
ensure improved availability of power. I also directed that the power
sector reforms must continue on schedule and that privatization of the
sector must be completed according to plan.
Our approach is two-pronged: First, is
the immediate repair of power plants, as well as transmission and
distribution infrastructure in the short term. The second is the
building of institutions and the provision of enablers to attract
investors. We have revived and are accelerating the completion of the
National Integrated Power Projects. We are also building about 4000km of
transmission lines and hundreds of substations. We have completed the
design for the construction of both Mambilla and Zungeru Hydro power
plants which will add about 3, 000 MW to the national grid.
By mid-2010, the national power output
was about 2, 800 MW. By the end of 2011, we reached a peak of more than
4, 000 MW. A National Gas Emergency Plan has also been launched to
redress the problem of gas supply which arose essentially due to poor
planning.
For long-term power availability, we
have strengthened a number of key institutions such as the Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Bulk Trader, the National Power
Training Institute of Nigeria, and others. We are also working with the
World Bank to provide guarantees for gas and power providers. The
signing of MOUs with World Leaders in power equipment – General Electric
of USA and Siemens of Germany as well as US and China Exim Banks for
financial investment, is a clear indication of the level of confidence
which the world investment community has in our power sector road map.
In addition, the privatisation programme
has attracted expression of interest from 131 companies across the
globe. Our decision to bring in the private sector is clearly intended
to achieve our target of generating and distributing sufficient and
reliable power within the shortest time possible. With the measures we
have put in place, we will surely achieve success in transforming the
power sector.
We have also focused our efforts on
Ports and Customs reforms to ensure efficiency in the handling of ports
and port-related businesses. Our administration has streamlined
bureaucratic activities at the Ports by reducing the number of agencies
from 14 to 7. We have also reduced the time for the clearance of goods
from about a month, to seven days, with the long-term objective of
ensuring that cargoes are cleared within 48 hours in line with
international best practice. In the meantime, our ports, for the first
time, now open for business for 24 hours.
In the Oil and Gas Sector, our
Administration has charted a new course that will ensure enduring
transparency and accountability. We are re-drafting the Petroleum
Industry Bill (PIB) to ensure it meets the aspirations of all
Stakeholders given the current realities and future expectations in the
global energy landscape. Work on the PIB will be concluded in June 2012
and formally submitted to the National Assembly. Additionally, Special
Task Forces dealing with Governance and Control, Petroleum Revenue and
National refineries are finalizing their work to ensure probity across
the oil and gas sector, and self-sufficiency in refined petroleum
products.
In the Downstream Sector, the Nigerian
Content Development Act, since inception in 2010, has boosted the local
production of line pipes, in-country fabrication tonnage and engineering
support services. As a result, retained in-country spend has grown from
approximately US $1bn to a current estimate of US$4bn, and over US$3
billion Foreign Direct Investment has been brought in for upgrading and
building new yards, altogether generating over 120,000 direct and
indirect jobs.
Capacity utilization of existing
domestic refineries has greatly improved from 30 to 60 percent. We have
commenced the phased plan to return the refineries to 90 percent
capacity utilization with the expected completion of the rehabilitation
of Port Harcourt refinery by the end of 2012, to be followed by Warri
and Kaduna refineries in 2013.
In the Upstream Sector, the April 2012
commissioning of the Usan Deep Offshore Field has increased crude oil
production capacity by 180 thousand barrels per day. Also, Government
continues to support the National Oil Company, NPDC, by assigning 55%
equity in 8 divested blocks which has resulted in increase in reserves
from 350 million barrels to 2.1 billion barrels and 160, 000 barrels of
production. We have also made significant progress in gas infrastructure
development, investing close to US$1bn for the construction of some
1000 km of pipelines, gas supply growth and stimulation of gas
industrialization. Between now and the third quarter of 2013, Final
Investment Decisions (FIDs) will be made on gas-based industries, such
as the petrochemicals and fertilizer plants at Koko, the Central
Processing Units (CPF) in Obiafu/Obrikom, and the gas growth projects.
Also, the sum of N11 billion is provided in the 2012 Budget for
Hydro-Carbon exploration in the Lake Chad Basin.
The Gas Revolution initiative will fully
support and sustain domestic power, whilst creating Africa’s largest
gas based industrial park, which on completion will underpin the
creation of over a million jobs and attract over US$16 billion in
Foreign Direct Investment. To protect the gains of these initiatives
for all Nigerians, we are aggressively addressing the increasing
incidents of crude oil theft and other criminal activities in the
sector.
As a deliberate move, our goal is to
transform Nigeria from a mono-modal economy, to a diversified one. The
sector that we are focusing on to diversify our economy – and one in
which Nigeria has huge comparative advantage – is the agriculture
sector. Agriculture accounts for about 40% of our GDP and over 70% of
all employment. Increases in agricultural productivity will drive down
rural poverty and revive our rural economy.
In this regard, we are aggressively
pursuing an agricultural transformation agenda. Agriculture is no longer
a development programme. We are now treating agriculture as a business,
one that can generate wealth and create jobs for millions of our
youths.
We have implemented major reforms in the
sector, notably in the fertilizer sub-sector. We have ended the
practice of Federal Government procurement and distribution of
fertilizers. This we did because only 11% of farmers get the fertilizers
that are bought and distributed by government. The old system
encouraged rent seekers to collude and deprive farmers of access to
fertilizers, while some of the fertilizers ended up with political
farmers and in neighbouring countries.
Now, the procurement and
commercialization of fertilizers and seeds have been fully deregulated
to the private sector. We have ended the culture of corruption in
fertilizer procurement. We must also end the era of food imports.
Nigeria spends over 10 billion dollars every year importing wheat, rice,
sugar and fish alone. This is unacceptable.
Our agricultural transformation agenda
is directed at promoting local production, substituting for imported
foods, and adding value to our locally produced crops. We are recording
successes already. Government’s policy to ensure rice self-sufficiency
by 2015 is already paying off. New rice mills are being established by
the private sector to mill locally produced rice. Ebony Agro Industries
located in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has rolled out its
high quality parboiled rice. In Kano, Umza rice mill has taken off and
can hardly meet demand, while in Benue State Ashi rice has hit the
market. Consumers are buying more of Abakaliki and Ofada rice too.
To further accelerate the local
production and milling of high quality rice, government is facilitating
the import and installation of 100 new large scale integrated rice mills
across the country. This will allow Nigeria, for the first time in its
history, to have the capacity to mill all of the rice that we consume.
Our cassava policy is working, as we
accelerate the pace of utilization of cassava to create markets for
millions of our farmers. Our goal is a bold one: we will make Nigeria,
which is the largest producer of cassava in the world, to also become
the largest processor of high value cassava products in the world.
To further encourage cassava utilization
and value-added products, government will support corporate bakers and
master bakers across the country to use high quality cassava flour for
baking. Last year I announced an increase in tariff and levy on wheat.
To encourage the cassava flour inclusion policy, I now direct that part
of the levy and tariff on wheat be set aside to support the promotion of
high quality cassava flour and composite cassava bread. This will
include support for needed enzymes, technical training and equipment for
corporate bakers and master bakers, as well as accelerated cassava
production.
We have also secured markets for cassava
outside Nigeria, and for the first time ever, Nigeria will export this
year 1 million metric tons of dried cassava chips to China. This will
earn Nigeria 136 million US dollars in foreign exchange. Last week we
also successfully started the commercial use of feed grade cassava
grits, produced locally, for use in our poultry industry.
We are reviving our lost glory in cocoa,
with massive distribution of 3.6 million pods of high-yielding cocoa
varieties for farmers all across the cocoa growing states of the
country. The pods will be provided free of charge. We are reviving
cotton production in the North, as well. I have directed that all seeds
for cotton should be provided, free of charge, to all cotton farmers.
Let me reiterate my personal passion and
commitment to driving the agricultural transformation for Nigeria. The
prosperity of Nigeria must start with improving the living standards of
our farmers, and revitalizing rural economies across the nation. The
newly inaugurated Agricultural Transformation Implementation Council,
which I personally Chair, will further drive our continued revolution of
the sector. Our goal is to add 20 million metric tons of food to our
domestic food supply by 2015 and create 3.5 million jobs. To achieve
this, the appropriate infrastructure to support all-year round farming
through irrigation is being rehabilitated and developed across the
country.
We must use our population to create
markets for what we produce. We must grow local, buy local and eat
local. To promote this, I have directed that all official functions of
government serve local foods, especially our local rice and cassava
bread and other foods. In the State House, I am faithfully keeping to my
promise of eating cassava bread and local rice.
Our administration is committed to the
rapid and beneficial development of our country’s Minerals and metals
potential. In the last year, we recorded remarkable achievements in
Mines and Steel Development. We increased the number of investors in the
mining sector due to the transparent manner in which titles are now
issued on a “first come-first served and use it or lose it basis.” A
total of 2,476 active mineral titles were issued compared to 666 titles
issued out in the previous year, thereby reducing, significantly,
illegal mining activities. About 350, 000 additional jobs were created,
arising from the activities of newly registered operators. We have
initiated a programme to support private steel production outfits. This
has resulted in an increase in production figures for steel and other
metals to over 1 million tonnes.
It is our collective desire as Nigerians
to improve the standard of education. We are particularly aggressive in
addressing this challenge. As a former school teacher, I know that it
is not enough to create jobs; we must develop human capacity, and train a
generation of Nigerian children with better competencies and skills.
This will grant them the edge that they require to compete in a
skills-driven global economy, and by extension, strengthen our national
competitiveness index.
I want every Nigerian child to have an
opportunity to receive quality education and acquire useful skills. We
are reforming the education sector from basic to tertiary level. The
Federal Government recently launched the Almajiri Education Programme to
reduce the number of out-of-school children which currently stands at
about 9 million. Similar programmes will soon be introduced in various
parts of the country. At the tertiary level, it is the policy of this
administration that every State will have a Federal University.
To this end, we have established within
the last year, nine (9) new Federal Universities and licensed nine (9)
new private universities, bringing the total number of universities in
the country to 124. Even with this, there is still the challenge of
getting adequate admission space for prospective undergraduates. While
we are addressing this, the Federal Government is also conscious of the
fact that our universities need to be better equipped, particularly with
well trained teachers. Government is, therefore, working on a programme
to provide scholarships for Nigerians who are interested in academics,
to enable them obtain their Doctorate degrees within and outside the
country.
In addition, the Federal Government has
launched a Special Presidential Scholarship Scheme for our best and
brightest brains. We are selecting the best out of our First Class
graduates in various disciplines, especially engineering and science.
They will be sent for post-graduate studies in the best universities in
the world, with the expectation that this will lay the foundation for a
desirable scientific and technological revolution that will take Nigeria
into Space in the not too distant future.
One of the first steps taken by this
administration was the creation of a Ministry of Communications
Technology. Its mandate includes the design of programmes and
initiatives to deploy ICT as a driver of sustainable growth and the
training of skilled manpower. For our country to remain relevant, we
need to adequately educate our people, as it is through education that
we can turn our people into assets that can help Nigeria compete
globally, and create jobs in the new knowledge economy.
By the same token, the Ministry of Niger
Delta Affairs is providing training opportunities for the youths in the
Niger Delta. In the past year, a total of 704 youths have been sent for
training, abroad and locally, in various fields of endeavour, including
agriculture, petroleum engineering, commerce, tourism, and maritime
studies. Nine skills centres are being built, one in each of the nine
states of the Niger Delta; three of them will be completed this year.
An efficient and affordable public
transport system remains a priority of this Administration. Our
transformation agenda in the road sector which seeks to deliver better
and safer roads to Nigerians, as well as to link the six geo-political
zones in the country with dual carriageways, is very much on course.
There has been increased construction activities in the ongoing
dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Road, Kano–Potiskum–Maiduguri Road;
the Benin–Ore–Shagamu Expressway; the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway; and the
construction of the Loko–Oweto bridge, across River Benue.
Work has been slow on the East-West road
due to budgetary constraints, but government will discharge all
liabilities to contractors before the end of June, and funds for the
remaining part of the year, will be provided to accelerate the pace of
work. In other parts of the country, about 21 other road projects are in
different stages of completion. These include the Yola–Numan road,
Aba–Owerri road, Owerri–Onitsha expressway, Oyo–Ogbomosho old road, and
the Gombe-Potiskum road. Many others are at different stages of
completion.
Government is also currently
rehabilitating about 3,000 kms out of the 3,505 km existing narrow gauge
rail lines across the country. The Lagos-Kano corridor will be
completed this year, while the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri corridor, which
has equally commenced, will be completed by the end of 2013. We have
also commenced the construction of the Abuja–Kaduna segment of the
Lagos–Kano standard gauge rail lines, while the Lagos–Ibadan segment
will be awarded this year. The Itakpe–Ajaokuta–Warri standard gauge rail
line is nearing completion with the entire tracks completely laid.
To enhance sustainability in the rail
sector, this Administration has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with General Electric (GE) to establish a locomotive assembly plant in
the country. Our goal is to make Nigeria a major hub in West and
Central Africa.
Within the last 12 months, we completed
the capital dredging of the Lower River Niger from Warri (Delta State)
to Baro (Niger State) to boost our inland water transportation. This
year, work will commence on the dredging of the River Benue in addition
to the construction of River Ports at Baro (Niger State), Oguta (Imo
State), and Jamata/Lokoja, (Kogi State). The Onitsha River Port in
Anambra State, equipped with modern cargo handling equipment, has been
completed and I shall be commissioning the project in the next few
weeks.
The Aviation sector remains pivotal to
our economic growth. Within the last year, we have developed a road map
for the restoration of decaying facilities and infrastructure, some of
which had not been attended to since they were first constructed over 30
years ago. Currently, we are renovating airports across the country and
have begun the development of four new international terminals at
Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja. We have also reviewed our
Bilateral Air Service Agreements to ensure improved service delivery,
and more customer-friendly processes. We are working to ensure that
within the life of this Administration, the aviation sector in Nigeria
will be transformed into a world class and self-sustaining provider of
safe, secure and comfortable air transportation.
Globally, the role of women in
governance has assumed great significance. In Nigeria, it is also widely
acknowledged that women who constitute about half of the Nigerian
population are great and invaluable assets, in both the public and
private spheres. On our part, we have demonstrated serious commitment
in further empowering women and projecting their role in public life.
Out of the 42 members of the Federal Executive Council, 13 are women,
heading major Ministries of Government.
Last week, I appointed the first female
Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission. In the Armed Forces,
female cadets have been admitted into the prestigious Nigerian Defence
Academy, an institution that was hitherto an exclusive preserve of men.
The first set will graduate in 2016. This year, we reached a
significant milestone as the Nigerian Air Force produced the first
Nigerian female combatant pilot. Our administration will continue to
empower women and the girl-child as a focal point of our Transformation
Agenda.
More than anything else, health
matters. We are upgrading the country’s tertiary health facilities to
bring them up to international standards. We have increased funding for
health-related MDGs. We are also committed to reducing maternal and
infant mortality, and to eradicating polio completely by 2014.
I want to reassure all Nigerians that
this administration remains committed to waging a sustained battle
against the menace of corruption. In the last one year, we have taken
specific steps to reduce opportunities and avenues for corruption, and
to strengthen the capacity and integrity of our institutions. For
example, our ports reform programme has reduced the number of agencies
at the ports which hitherto frustrated the speedy clearance of goods at
the ports. We have also cleared the stretch of trailers and lorries
blocking the Apapa Expressway. We have put an end to the fertilizer and
tractor scam that once dominated the agricultural sector. Our review of
the pension payment system has also blown the whistle on corrupt
practices which are now being addressed.
Within the last one year, we set up a
committee to identify leakages and waste in the Ministries, Departments
and Agencies. I am confident that the implementation of the
recommendations of that committee will help to eliminate corruption
channels within the system, and improve the efficiency of the public
service. In January, we announced a policy of deregulation in the
downstream sector, but this was misunderstood by naysayers and reduced
narrowly to a fuel subsidy removal initiative, whereas the policy was
designed to completely eliminate the grand corruption in the downstream
sector, and create the necessary incentives for private sector
investment.
We have strengthened the leadership of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent
Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). Both agencies are being
re-positioned for more effective service delivery. We will continue to
strengthen the law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies for optimal
performance. We will also need the support of our courts. The courts
have to do more.
Terrorism, a new menace, totally alien
to our way of life and culture, has reared its head and is posing a
serious challenge. My thoughts and prayers go to the victims of the
terrorist attacks, and their families.
As President, it is my solemn duty to
defend the Constitution of this country. That includes the obligation
to protect life and property. We are doing everything possible to check
the menace of terrorism. In this regard, we are determined to review
some of the existing laws, to further strengthen the national
counter-terrorism strategy. Coordinated joint action among our security
agencies has now assumed greater importance. We have developed a new
security architecture to strengthen the security environment.
I wish to reassure every Nigerian that
we will confront this threat against our collective peace and security,
and bring the perpetrators to justice. We will confront the few
misguided persons who falsely believe, that through violence, they can
impose their agenda of hate and division on this nation of good people.
We must confront all those who think they can derail us by engaging in
indiscriminate violence and mass murder, perpetrated in places of
worship, in markets and public places, against the media, and security
personnel. Nigeria is a nation of resilient people. We will never yield
to the forces of darkness. Nigeria will never, ever, disintegrate.
Let me end this address at the point
where I began. What matters most to all of us, is Nigeria. It is what
binds us together. We have a duty to be loyal to our country. If we
believe this to be a sacred obligation, it will not matter whether we
are Christians or Muslims, or politicians, irrespective of political
parties or divide. It really will not matter whether we are civil
society agents, social activists or union leaders. What matters is
Nigeria. This nation exists because we are one. We must, therefore,
remain as one family, and work together to defend our country.
Within two years, it would be exactly
100 years since the Northern and Southern protectorates were amalgamated
and Nigeria was born. We need a lot more introspection, even as we look
forward. We must take steps to heal the wounds of the past and work
together, as a people with a shared destiny under one flag. We must
strengthen our collective memory, draw strength from our history, and
build bridges of unity to take our country to greater heights.
This is what we should do. And we must.
As a starting point, we must draw strength from our history and work to
ensure that the labour of our heroes past is not in vain. It is partly
for this and other reasons, that I have directed, as part of the
activities marking today’s Democracy Day, that all due processes should
be initiated for the building of a Presidential Museum in Abuja, the
Federal Capital Territory. This Museum will document the lives and times
of Nigeria’s Presidents and Heads of Government since 1960, and remind
us, by extension, of the high points of our national history.
It is also in this regard that the Federal Government has decided that late Chief M.K.O. Abiola
be honoured, for making the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of
justice and truth. Destiny and circumstances conspired to place upon his
shoulders a historic burden, and he rose to the occasion with character
and courage. He deserves recognition for his martyrdom, and
public-spiritedness and for being the man of history that he was. We
need in our land, more men and women who will stand up to defend their
beliefs, and whose example will further enrich our democracy. After very
careful consideration, and in honour of Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s
accomplishments and heroism, on this Democracy Day, the University of Lagos, is renamed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, Moshood Abiola University, Lagos. The Federal Government will also establish an Institute of Democratic Studies and Governance in the University.
Thank you.
God bless you.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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