The Presidents Independence Speech

This is the unedited text of President
Jonathan's address to the nation this morning
Beloved countrymen and women, on this
day, fifty-two years ago, our founding
fathers brought joy and hope to the
hearts of our people when they won
independence for our great country.
Nigeria made a clean break with more
than six decades of colonial rule, and
emerged as a truly independent nation.
That turning point was a new beginning
for our nation.
Those who witnessed the lowering of the
Union Jack and the emergence of the
Green White Green flag continue to relish
the memory, because that ceremony
was not just about the destiny of a
nation, but the future of a people.
That future is here; we are the inheritors of a
great legacy that goes even much farther into
the past.
The worthy patriots who made this possible
were young men and women in their twenties
and thirties. They worked together to restore
dignity and honour to the Nigerian people.
Their resolve united a multicultural and
multilingual nation of diverse peoples, with
more than 250 distinct languages and ethnic
groups.
In 1960, our diversity became a source of
strength, and the new leaders resolved to
carry the flag of independence for the benefit
of future generations. They had their
differences, but they placed a greater
premium on the need to come together to
build a new nation.
It is that resolve, and that glorious moment
that we celebrate today. We also celebrate
the patriotism of our heroes past: Dr Nnamdi
Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir
Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro,
Herbert Macaulay, and several others who
made the case for our independence.
We remember as always, their contributions
to the making of the Nigerian nation, and the
efforts of their successors since 1960. We also
celebrate the unfailing optimism and
resilience of Nigerians who remain proud of
our national identity.
On this special day, I call on every Nigerian to
remain steadfast, because our nation is
indeed making progress. I call on every
Nigerian to rediscover that special spirit that
enables us to triumph over every adversity as
a people:
We weathered the storm of the civil war, we
have refused to be broken by sectarian crises;
we have remained a strong nation. I bring to
you today, a message of renewed hope and
faith in the immense possibilities that lie
ahead.
Fellow citizens, I have an unshaken belief in
the future of our great Country. I consider it a
priority and sacred duty to continue to
strengthen the bond of unity that holds our
nation together and to promote and nourish
the creative energies of our people. This is a
central objective of our administration’s
Transformation Agenda. Nigeria, I assure you,
will continue to grow from strength to
strength.
Since I assumed office as President of our
dear country on the 6th of May 2010, I have
continued to work with our countrymen and
women to enhance our nation’s growth and
development.
Our vision is encapsulated in the
Transformation Agenda. We are working hard
and making progress on many fronts. We
have cleaned up our electoral process; our
elections are now globally acclaimed to be
free and fair. Nigeria is now on a higher
pedestal regarding elections.
Over the past five years, the global economy
has been going through a weak and
uncertain recovery. During the same period
and particularly in the last two years, the
Nigerian economy has done appreciably well
despite the global financial crisis. Nigeria’s
real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown
by 7.1 per cent on average.
It is also significant that the GDP growth has
been driven largely by the non-oil sector. In
pursuance of the main goals of the
Transformation Agenda, a number of reforms
and initiatives are being pursued in key
sectors of the economy with a view to
consolidating the gains of the economic
growth.
Our country’s power supply situation is
improving gradually. We are successfully
implementing a well-integrated power sector
reform programme which includes
institutional arrangements to facilitate and
strengthen private-sector-led power
generation, transmission and distribution.
We have also put in place a cost-reflective
tariff structure that reduces the cost of power
for a majority of electricity consumers. I am
pleased with the feedback from across the
country, of improvements in power supply.
We are continuing to improve and stabilize on
our crude production volumes; our 12-month
gas supply emergency plan, put in place
earlier this year, has produced more than the
targeted volumes of gas for power generation.
A robust Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has
been placed before the National Assembly. Its
passage into law will ensure far-reaching
reforms, transparency, accountability,
increased government revenue and
predictability for investors in the Oil and Gas
sector.
Several government programmes and
projects are creating wealth and millions of
job opportunities for our youth and general
population. Such programmes include: You-
Win, both for the youth and for the women,
Public Works, the Local Content Initiative in
the Oil and Gas Sector, and the Agricultural
Transformation programme.
We have improved on our investment
environment; more corporate bodies are
investing in the Nigerian economy. Our
Investment Climate Reform Programme has
helped to attract over N6.8 trillion local and
foreign direct investment commitments.
Nigeria has become the preferred destination
for investment in Africa. It is ranked first in
the top 5 host economies for Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in Africa, accounting for
over 20 per cent of total FDI flows into the
continent. We have streamlined bureaucratic
activities at the ports to ensure greater
efficiency in the handling of ports and port-
related businesses. Specifically, we have
drastically reduced the goods clearing period
in our ports from about six weeks to about
one week and under. We have an ultimate
target of 48 hours.
We have put in place, a new visa policy that
makes it easier for legitimate investors to
receive long stay visas. We have achieved a
24-hour timeline for registration of new
businesses, leading to the registration of close
to 7, 000 companies within the second
quarter of 2012.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
(MAN) has disclosed that, as at July 2012,
249 new members across the country had
joined the Association, and that capacity
utilization has also improved. The multiplier
effect of this development on our job creation
programme cannot be over-emphasized.
In the last two years, we have put in place
structures for an upgrade of the country’s
health sector, to promote in every respect,
the individual citizen’s right to quality,
affordable and accessible healthcare.
In this regard, we are devoting resources
under the Subsidy Reinvestment Program
(SURE-P) to reducing malaria incidents,
dramatically reducing maternal and child
mortality, and eradicating polio.
Fellow Nigerians, in recent times, we have
witnessed serious security challenges in parts
of our country. We have taken pro-active
measures to check the menace. This has
included constant consultation and
collaboration with our neighbours and other
friendly nations on issues relating to internal
and cross border security, and the sharing of
information on smuggling and illegal dealing
in small arms and light weapons.
Our security agencies are constantly being
strengthened and repositioned for greater
efficiency. Many Nigerians have
acknowledged that there has been a
significant decline in the spate of security
breaches.
While expressing our condolences to the
affected families, let me reiterate the
commitment of this Administration to ensure
the safety of lives and property of all
Nigerians.
Even as we remain focused on the issue of
security, the fight against the scourge of
corruption is a top priority of our
Administration. We are fighting corruption in
all facets of our economy, and we are
succeeding. We have put an end to several
decades of endemic corruption associated
with fertilizer and tractor procurement and
distribution. We have exposed decades of
scam in the management of pensions and
fuel subsidy, and ensured that the culprits
are being brought to book.
In its latest report, Transparency International
(TI) noted that Nigeria is the second most
improved country in the effort to curb
corruption.
We will sustain the effort in this direction with
an even stronger determination to strengthen
the institutions that are statutorily entrusted
with the task of ending this scourge.
I have given my commitment of non-
interference in the work of the relevant
agencies and I am keeping my word. What
we require is the full cooperation of all tiers of
government, and the public, especially civil
society and the media.
This Administration has also introduced for
the first time in Nigeria’s history, a
Performance Contract System for all Ministers,
and other officials of government. This is to
further place emphasis on performance,
efficiency, and service delivery.
Fellow Nigerians, our determined efforts on
several fronts not-withstanding, our country
still faces a number of challenges.
Those challenges should not deter us. In the
last few weeks, for example, many of our
communities have been ravaged by floods,
resulting in the loss of lives and property, and
the displacement of persons.
I want to reassure all affected Nigerians that I
share in their grief, and our Administration is
taking steps to address these incidents, in
collaboration with the States and Local
Governments.
I have received the interim Report of the
Presidential team that I set up to assess the
flooding situation across the country.
The Federal Government has taken measures
to assist the affected States, while
considering long term measures to check
future reoccurrence.
We must continue to work together,
confidently and faithfully, to ensure that our
country’s potentials are realised to the fullest;
that our dreams are translated into reality;
and that our goals are achieved.
Let me reiterate that our administration is
committed to the pursuit of fundamental
objectives of an open society: the pursuit of
freedom, security and prosperity for the
Nigerian people, and the rule of law.
In the next few days, I shall lay before the
National Assembly the 2013 Federal Budget
Proposal so that deliberations can commence
in earnest on the key policies, programmes
and projects that will mark a decisive year for
our development and transformation.
I have no doubt that by the time I address
you on our next independence anniversary,
many of our reform efforts would have yielded
even better results.
Over the years, several leaders have built on
the foundation laid by our Founding Fathers.
The baton is now in our hands. Let me assure
all Nigerians that we shall not fail.
I am confident that Nigeria will continue to be
a source of pride to its citizens; to Africa and
the Black Race and to humanity; a land that
is known for progress, freedom, peace and
the promotion of human dignity.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
May God bless you all.