Nigeria at 51: The future is bright, Jonathan says

Happy 51st Independence Day Celebration, Nigeria. -NigeriaTrends.com

AS the twin evils of bad governance and corruption continue to bedevil Nigeria’s underdevelopment, President Goodluck Jonathan, on the country’s 51st Independence Anniversary, declared that he has hard decision to improve governance to ensure greater transparency, probity, and accountability at all levels.

In a nationwide broadcast this morning, President Jonathan acknowledged that “a nation is sustained by its institutions and systemsh, saying that, “ I have taken strong measures to improve on governance. It is in this regard that I signed into law the Freedom of Information Action.

He announced that, “already, we are beginning to do things differently. I believe that integrity, honour, patriotism, selfless service and fear of God, must be the hallmarks of leadership at all levels.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan addresses the 66th UN General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York, September 21, 2011.

The President disclosed that his government has put in place a new and reinvigorated national security strategy, to combat the threat to safety, noting that, “ no matter what I do as your President and no matter what we do as your elected leaders, at all levels, the peace and security of our nation rest also on our collective efforts as citizens, in our various communities.

He therefore charged all leaders and citizens in every community to make peace the number one priority of their daily routine, because, without peace, no community can realize its objectives or achieve a happy and productive life for its members.

“The current incidents of violence and terror in parts of the country will surely be overcome. We will secure the safety of our citizens for only when we do this, will we be able to build the needed peace and tranquility in all parts of the federation. Securing our peace and stability will ensure economic growth and prosperity for all”, he said.

While assuring that his administration will spare no effort in fighting crime, building peace, and securing our homeland against internal threats and infiltration by violent groups, from outside our borders, Jonathan condemned all acts of violence and declared that such acts of mindless savagery shall not be allowed to define our country. We will not be deterred. Our resolve is strong.

Jonathan who vowed to further strengthen all institutions to ensure greater transparency, probity, and accountability at all levels, said he redeemed the promised to restore confidence in the electoral system and deliver free and fair elections, which he did through some electoral reforms and strengthened INEC and other related agencies.

According to him, “since I assumed office as the President of our great country, I have continued to focus my attention on the economy. I have taken several measures to address structural weaknesses which stand between us and economic growth and prosperity for all.

He explained that government was growing the economy to generate employment opportunities for our teeming youth and enhanced prosperity for every citizen, saying that, “in a few days’ time, I shall launch an innovative competition for our young entrepreneurs to come up with ways to expand their businesses, create more jobs, and sharpen their business skills.

While reassuring Nigerians of his resolve to lead the country into a safer, more peaceful, and prosperous future for our children, he said as a result of his electoral reforms, “Our April 2011 general elections were adjudged by Nigerians and the international community as the most transparent and credible elections, ever conducted in our country. Indeed, post-election petitions reduced by over 50 per cent.

The President solicited the support of all Nigerians in the task of nation building, saying that, “the time has come to rise above ethnic and religious divisions; The time has come to unite against violence in all its ramifications; The time has come to secure our peace and unite against suffering, and deprivation.”

Expressing optimism in the unity and indivisibility of the country, Jonathan stated that, “I see a new Nigeria rising. A Nigeria that is economically strong. A Nigeria that takes its rightful place of leadership in the world. A Nigeria that uses its diversity to reinforce its strength. A Nigeria we all can be proud of.

While praising the resilience and dedication of Nigerians in the pursuit of their socioeconomic activities, Jonathan believed that, “our potential is huge. We have the requisite market volume. We have a youthful, energetic, and hardworking population.

According to him, the structural and managerial bottlenecks that have obstructed our economic growth are being addressed to unleash the energy and potentials of this nation.

“To achieve this, I am determined to ensure that Nigerians have reliable electricity. Our economy will grow faster, and our hard working small businesses will thrive when we finally fix the power challenges we face. We are fast tracking power reforms to improve the generation and distribution of electricity.

To this end, he disclosed that, “we are effectively supporting the private-sector led construction of world scale petrochemical and fertilizer plants. This will for the first time in our history, result in effective monetisation of our abundant natural gas resources while at the same time, creating over a million jobs. Reminding Nigerians that there was a time they requested for the Nigerian nation, Jonathan said, “this is Nigeria we need and this is the Nigeria we all must build. As we celebrate today, let us resolve to build the Nigeria of our future.

Calling on all political leaders to put aside partisan politics for united action towards the advancement of our nation, the President said it is very clear that without fundamental reforms in the key sectors of our economy, Nigeria will not be able to fully unlock our potential as a nation, noting that, “we must manage our resources more prudently and efficiently. We must provide stable electricity to our citizens to help drive economic activity.

He explained that the government has put in place implementable programmes to transform the country from an importer of petroleum products to the regional hub for exportation of value-added petroleum and petrochemical products, saying that, “We are revamping existing refineries and building three new ones”.

“Because of the measures we have taken on the economy, our GDP is today is one of the fastest growing in Africa. We are currently growing the economy at 7.8%. We expect to sustain an 8% growth rate and a better GDP in the medium term, on our journey towards realizing our Vision 20:2020 goal”, he said.

On agriculture and food security, Jonathan said the future is very bright; and announced with delight that “this week, Nigeria released 8 new high yielding cocoa varieties. This will help to transform cocoa production, across the 14 cocoa producing states in the nation, and we must also take pride in our scientists.

“We plan to reach 20 million farmers with private-sector distributed fertilizers over the next four years. We will improve the investment environment and incentives for the private sector across the agricultural value chains. Our agricultural transf-ormation plan will generate 3.5 million jobs and an additional 20 million metric tons of food.

However, he encouraged Nigerians to patronise produce-in-Nigeria foods, saying, “we must all show pride in our farmers. We should eat what we produce. The increasing popularity of local products like Ofada Rice, Badegi rice, and Abakaliki Rice , attest to the fact that the populace will readily embrace locally grown produce.

He observed that, “growth in agriculture and other non-oil sectors is crucial to help diversify the economy and to generate much needed jobs. Agriculture remains one of the highest priorities in my government’s Agenda for National Transformation. We have set out clear agricultural transformation action plans and policy measures to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and other staple foods.’

Jonathan revealed that, “self-sufficiency in rice alone will save us the N356b that we currently spend annually importing rice. We will revamp the way we distribute fertilizers, taking government out of distribution of fertilizers.’

The President said he was aware that a great number of people are joining hands with him and the Administration in the great task ahead.

“I value all Nigerians. I see our youth who are looking for jobs and yet remain hopeful. I see the farmer, and fisherman toiling everyday to earn a living. I see the teacher working hard to train our future generations with much sacrifice. I see the market women whose entrepreneurial spirit helps to generate income for their children and families. I see our sportsmen and women training hard to bring glory to our nation. I see our resilience and commitment as a nation to defend our democracy and secure our future.

“I see every single profession and vocation, making positive contributions to national progress. I value you all! Together, we shall work for a Nigeria in which democracy and the rule of law are sacrosanct. A country where corruption and its attendant vices are banished. A country where human life is sacred and respected and where the rights of the individual are protected.”

The journey to nationhood, he observed, always has its own challenges, and that Nigeria has had her own share. But that “our growing pains as a nation have included the Civil War, the June 12 election crisis and restlessness in the Niger Delta. But Nigeria has always overcome each of these challenges. We overcame before. We will overcome yet again.”

The increasing popularity of local products, like ‘Ofada Rice’, ‘Badegi rice’, and ‘Abakaliki Rice’, attest to the fact, that the populace will readily embrace locally grown produce”.

He observed that “growth in agriculture and other non-oil sectors are crucial, to help diversify the economy and to generate much needed jobs. Agriculture remains one of the highest priorities in my government’s Agenda for National Transformation. We have set out clear, agricultural, transformation action plans and policy measures, to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and other staple foods”.

Jonathan revealed that “self-sufficiency in rice alone will save us the 356 Billion Naira that we currently spend annually importing rice. We will revamp the way we distribute fertilizers, taking government out of distribution of fertilizers”.

As Nigeria marks her 51st independence celebration, Jonathan said he was aware that a great number of people are joining hands with him and the Administration, in the great task ahead.

“I value all Nigerians. I see our youth who are looking for jobs and yet remain hopeful. I see the farmer, and fisherman, toiling everyday to earn a living. I see the teacher, working hard, to train our future generations, with much sacrifice. I see the market women whose entrepreneurial spirit helps to generate income for their children and families. I see our sportsmen and women training hard to bring glory to our nation. I see our resilience and commitment, as a nation, to defend our democracy and secure our future”.

He said “I see every single profession and vocation, making positive contributions to national progress. I value you all! Together, we shall work for a Nigeria in which democracy and the rule of law are sacrosanct. A country where corruption and its attendant vices, are banished. A country where human life is sacred and respected, and where the rights of the individual are protected.

The journey to nationhood, he observed, is always has its own challenges, and that Nigeria has had her own share;. But that “our growing pains as a nation have included the civil war, the June 12 election crisis and restlessness in the Niger Delta. But Nigeria has always overcome each of these challenges. We overcame before. We will overcome yet again”.

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Source: Vanguard