Jonathan Dreams Big For Nigeria @54, Says Tomorrow Will Be Better
President Goodluck Jonathan has raised the hope of Nigerians, declaring that tomorrow will be better than yesterday and today.
In a nation-wide broadcast this morning to mark Nigeria’s 54th Independence, the President declared: “our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday and today. Nigeria has got the human and material resources to excel and we shall lead the way in that journey to our manifest destiny.”
His hope is hinged on what he said was some far reaching advances that have been made towards building a strong, united and prosperous nation.
According to the President, Nigeria has been able to overcome the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil war in the 60’s, even as the citizenry have renewed their faith in one another, and in the country.
“We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.”
Jonathan stressed that the goals which his government set to achieve for the country involved expanding the frontiers of economic freedom.
He called on Nigerians to unite with one heart and one mind, adding: “all our people must have access to the good things of life. All our people must be empowered to pursue the gift of life with happiness. This is our country; we must build it for our common posterity.”
He said thay as the nation moves into an election year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are becoming a regular occurrence.
“Our political leaders in particular must know that the contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity.
“The contest for the leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions.
“We must remain committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters. The protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal.”
The President however recalled with sadness, what he called “the unprecedented war of terror unleashed on some parts of the country by the terrorists (members of Boko Haram) who want to compel us to live our lives their way. They will not succeed!”
President Jonathan said that in their mission, Boko Haram insurgents have maimed and raped, as well as killed men, women and children, even as they also rendered many children orphans and several women widows.
“They have made violence their ideology and are bent on destroying our country. Dear countrymen and women, we will not allow them.”
The full text of President Jonathan’s broadcast is reproduced hereunder:
Fellow Nigerians
Today marks the 54th anniversary of our country’s independence as a sovereign nation. This is also the tenth month of our journey into a new century, having marked the centenary of our nation in January this year.
The first one hundred years were marked by triumphs and tribulations, benefits and burdens, opportunities and challenges. We made some far reaching advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation. We also overcame the forces of disunity that culminated in a debilitating civil war. We have also renewed our faith in one another, and in our country. We have proven that we are truly a resilient nation.
In my address to the nation last year, I did emphasize that we were in a sober moment in our country. We are still in that mood in spite of the many accomplishments of our administration. Our sombreness has to do with the crises of nationhood occasioned by the activities of terrorist elements who have done the unimaginable to challenge our unity as a people.
On an occasion like this, it is important that we remember all the precious souls that have been lost in the unprecedented war of terror unleashed on some parts of our country by these individuals who want to compel us to live our lives their way. They will not succeed.
In their mission, they have maimed and raped. They have killed men, women and children, rendering many children orphans and several women widows.
They have made violence their ideology and are bent on destroying our country. Dear countrymen and women, we will not allow them.
Night after night, day after day, our security forces continue to engage the terrorists in battle. My gratitude goes out to our armed forces whose will has been greatly challenged by this insurgency more than any other time, since the civil war.
Yet, they have remained undaunted and unwearied in the face of constant challenge and mortal danger. Driven by patriotic zeal, they are turning the tide by their prowess and determination. As Commander-in-Chief, I will continue to do all it takes to enable them to keep on inflicting devastating blows at the heart of terror. Fellow Nigerians, it is our collective duty as patriots to avail our men and women in uniform of all the support they need to fight and win this war.
This Administration is committed to making Nigeria safe for all Nigerians, irrespective of our places of birth, how we worship God and our political persuasion. To all those waging war against our country, I ask that you lay down your arms and embrace peace.
To those who have genuine grievances, I affirm that Nigeria will listen to you, if you bring your grievances to the table of dialogue. To the good people of Nigeria, let me restate that our task of building a better and greater country must not waver.
While we continue to deploy our resources in the fight against the terrorists, we do recognize the great toll the conflict is taking on our people.
This is why, to assist the afflicted, we have launched the Victims Support Fund, an independent multi-sectoral charity, which will aggressively solicit resources to augment Government’s statutory intervention, in bringing succour to the injured, the displaced and the bereaved.
In partnership with Nigerian business leaders and international partners, we have also introduced the Safe Schools Initiative which is aimed at promoting safe environments for education nationwide, starting with the North East region. The Presidential Initiative for the North East, a comprehensive programme to fast-track the economic restoration of this region, which has been the epicentre of terrorist activity, has been set up.
Our overall objective is to do all we possibly can, to sustain in the North-East, the momentum of economic advancement, which is on-going in other parts of the country, despite the machinations of the terrorists and their sponsors.
It should now be clear to anyone who was ever in doubt that these terrorists do not mean well for anyone, of whatever religion or dispensation. Their persistent choice of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, for gruesome attack, provides an insight into their abnormal mind-set.
I urge every Nigerian to put aside political, sectional or other parochial considerations, and support whole-heartedly the efforts of the government and the military, in checking this evil.
We are grateful to the international community, and especially our neighbours who are working closely with us in confronting this challenge, for their increased partnership and solidarity. Our steady progress in weakening the insurgency has certainly justified our cooperation.
Fellow Nigerians, in my independence anniversary address last year, I informed you that we had taken cognizance of the suggestion over the years by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to focus attention on rebuilding and strengthening the ligaments of our union. It was in that regard that we announced the convening of a National Dialogue on the future of our beloved country.
We have successfully delivered on that promise as we established the 2014 National Conference headed by Justice Legbo Kutigi. After months of deliberations, which did not come without its challenges, the conference concluded its assignment and has handed its Report to me.
I have made a firm commitment that we would act on the recommendations of the conference. This, I have started by setting up the Ministerial Committee headed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to work out the modalities for implementing the Report. Every promise I make, God willing, I will see to its fulfilment. I assure you, we shall implement the report.
One major lesson which the 2014 National Conference has taught us as a country is that, a multi-ethnic country like ours, must learn to embrace painstaking dialogue until consensus is established.
To me, the National Conference is the greatest centenary gift to our country that we must cherish and sustain.
Fellow Nigerians, our 54 year-journey as a nation has not been easy. There have been tough periods, but the Nigerian spirit and the unflagging resilience of our people have seen us through. We will continue to march forward to greater heights.
We have been able to sustain a big, strong and influential country with a robust economy. We are currently in our sixteenth year of uninterrupted democratic rule, daily improving on the consolidation of our democratic process.
Our Administration has made a commitment to ensure that we build and sustain a democratic infrastructure anchored on free and fair elections. International and local observers have attested to the positive evolution of electoral credibility and we cannot afford to relent.
We will continue to ensure that the will of the electorate prevails so that political leaders would be reminded at all times that there is a day of reckoning when they have to go back to the people at the polls. Election days must not be days of violence and death. We must remain vigilant to ensure that our electoral process is characterised by peace, security and transparency.
I enjoin the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), all security agencies, politicians and the electorate to work conscientiously and peacefully, together, to consolidate on the gains of the recent elections. Free and fair elections have come to stay; nothing else will be acceptable to our people.
My dear countrymen and women, occasions such as this present an opportunity to thank God for our country and to report to you, on our journey so far.
Our power sector reform is on course with the ultimate objective of generating enough electricity to power our homes, industries and businesses. We are making giant strides in the Agricultural Sector which we are re-positioning to diversify our economy. We will continue to upgrade our infrastructure to make life easier for all and create an enabling environment for enterprise to flourish.
Over the last four years, the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act in the Oil and Gas Sector has ensured major increase in the participation of indigenous Oil and Gas companies in the industry. Several critical infrastructure projects have been commissioned and commenced. The level of indigenous asset ownership has greatly increased and utilisation of Nigerian-owned and built assets such as marine vessels and rigs is being progressively enforced. There has been maximised local value addition by encouraging the manufacture of equipment components and parts within the country. There has also been massive growth in indigenous participation in the provision of goods and services to the upstream sector from 10% to 60% within the last four years.
Today, following the rebasing of our economy, every international monitoring and ratings agency now acknowledges Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa, with a Gross Domestic Product of five hundred and ten billion dollars ($510 billion) which also places us as the 26th largest economy in the world. This is progress.
Earlier in the year, we launched the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) with the stated objective of fast tracking inclusive growth, job creation, enterprise development and industrialisation.
The success of these policies is already evident in the increased value addition in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
In line with our objective of encouraging the production of made-in-Nigeria vehicles and making Nigeria a regional hub for the automobile industry, a number of foreign auto manufacturers have established plants in Nigeria, complementing the laudable efforts of our local vehicle manufacturers who have also demonstrated great innovation and competitiveness.
We have also launched a special support programme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with an initial intervention fund of two hundred and twenty billion naira (N220 b). This is in addition to the Presidential Job Creation Board which I inaugurated recently with the charge to create three million jobs annually.
In demonstration of our Administration’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit, we have commenced the new mortgage re-finance programme with the establishment of the Nigerian Mortgage Re-finance Company. It is expected that, in addition to creating additional housing units across the country, this initiative also represents a huge job creation opportunity.
We have recorded notable success in the social sector. Nigeria has been globally acknowledged for reducing extreme hunger by more than half, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) formally presenting the country with an award for achieving the Millennium Development Goal on Hunger three years ahead of the 2015 target date set for the Millennium Development Goals.
This progress is as a result of the deliberate policy of government to increase capacity in our agricultural sector of which the first step was to address and eliminate the graft in our fertilizer procurement system and ensure that the product gets directly to the farmer. We are expanding our irrigation infrastructure to ensure that our farmers have sufficient water supply for dry season farming.
A benefit of these combined actions is that our national food import bill has declined from 1.1 trillion naira (6.9 billion dollars) in 2009 to 684.7 billion naira (4.35 billion dollars) by December 2013, and continues to decline.
Modern hybrid schools are being provided for less privileged children across the country, resulting in significant increase in the national school enrolment figure.
In order to further enhance access to education at the tertiary level, fourteen new Federal Universities have been established; and, to encourage persons of exceptional abilities, our Administration has also introduced a Presidential Scholarship Scheme based strictly on excellence and merit.
On infrastructure, we are building roads, bridges, and new rail lines to make it easier to traverse Nigeria and increase the integration of our people and our ability to do business with each other. In this regard, we have commenced the process of building the Second Niger Bridge. The Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue in Nasarawa and Benue States, will significantly reduce travel time by road between Northern and Southern Nigeria. The on-going dredging of the River Niger up to Baro in Niger State is opening up large parts of the Nigerian hinterland to maritime activity.
The Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro-electric power projects are on course, and the Kashimbilla dam which we started a few years ago, is nearing completion. The successful privatisation of our power sector will in the long run enhance industrial growth. Policies such as this and others have raised Nigeria to the enviable status of being the number one recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa in the past year.
The result of this infrastructure drive is that two and a half million jobs have been created over the past two years. This is a record, which we are committed to improve upon to continue to provide jobs for our youth.
An unprecedented number of Airports across the country, are not only being reconstructed at the same time, but being re-equipped and reassessed with emphasis on maintaining global standards.
Fellow Nigerians, the goals we set to achieve for our country involve expanding the frontiers of economic freedom. Let us therefore unite with one heart and one mind. All our people must have access to the good things of life. All our people must be empowered to pursue the gift of life with happiness. This is our country; we must build it for our common posterity.
As we move into an election year, desperate moves to overheat the polity are becoming a regular occurrence. Our political leaders in particular must know that the contest for power should not translate to the destruction of the polity.
The contest for the leadership of our country must yield good governance, and not ungovernable spaces. The love of country should rank higher than our individual ambitions.
We must remain committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria within democratic parameters. The protection of individual rights, liberty, equality before the law, freedom of thought, and a progressive pursuit of a sound economy must be our goal.
I cannot end this address without commenting on the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which was sadly brought into our country recently. My directives to the Federal Ministry of Health saw the ministry leading the charge in curtailing the spread of this deadly scourge and managing its impact. This is how it should be: swift, effective and comprehensive action in defence of citizens.
It must be pointed out that the Ebola battle is still raging elsewhere in our sub-region. I therefore enjoin all our citizens to continue to adhere strictly to all the guidelines that have been given by our health officials to keep Ebola out of our country.
I appreciate and welcome the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working together to prevent what could have become a major epidemic. I particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.
This is the spirit which we must demonstrate at all times as we face up to our challenges as a nation: one people, united by a common resolve, in the pursuit of one common national interest.
As we look forward to another year in our national life, I am more than confident that our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday and today. Nigeria has got the human and material resources to excel and we shall lead the way in that journey to our manifest destiny.
Fellow countrymen, brothers and sisters, in all our plans, and in all our words and our actions, we must stand together in love and unity, as one people under God.
We are one people from the womb of one Nigeria. We are brothers and sisters. We are one family. We are Nigerians.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. [myad]
There can be no arguing the fact that Nigeria has come a long way from the political Independence on October 1st 1960 to date: this is in term of development in socio-economic and politico-cultural fronts. Of course, it would have been a complete misnomer that Nigeria does not make the progress it has made in those 54 years, given the God-given resources it has continually been endowed with. In other words, with such abundant resources in all sectors, it makes no surprising news that such numerous development or achievements have been recorded. This is even aside from the reality that the country has not matched its abundance resources with the kind of advancement it ought to have been made, most of which is attributable to the subject of this commentary.
David Mark’s Re-Election Bid And The Opposition Gambit, By Sufuyan Ojeifo
David Mark is not new to battles – be they military or political.
He had fought military battles, won many and retreated from, at least, one that I know of, to wit: his bolting out of the country in 1994 on self-exile in the face of real threats of extermination by the Sani Abacha junta.
The tactical flight was an opportunity for him to return another day for a fight, which day came at the outset of the current Fourth Republic in 1999.
But the fight this time round was political.
He had taken a plunge into the murky waters of politics; and, he deservedly secured the mandate of Idoma people that make up Benue Zone C (South) Senatorial District to represent them in the Senate.
And for eight years, he occupied the senate seat as a member.
In 2007, he emerged as the senate president and was re-elected by his colleagues for a second term in 2011.
For each of these enterprises, it was a tough battle for the retired army general.
He was gallant in the battles. Even though he experienced scary moments, he was able to pull through.
Indeed, he had since 1999 fought and won political battles; and, to be sure, he is still fighting in the battlefield.
In 1999, he surmounted the opposition from General Lawrence Onoja for the PDP ticket.
In 2003 and 2007, he repeated the same feat.
He emerged victorious in the subsequent general elections.
With the defeat of the face of opposition within the PDP, the elements who wanted to stop him at all costs from returning to the Senate supported the ANPP senatorial candidate, Alhaji Usman Abubakar aka Young Alhaji.
This was one of the scary moments: he defeated Young Alhaji in the election, but the ANPP candidate claimed he won the election.
He headed to the Election Petition Tribunal which awarded him victory.
Mark filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Jos, which was the last bus stop in post election trial, and was able to secure the final verdict in his favour.
Prior to the verdict of the Appellate Court, Mark’s presidency of the Senate was, indeed, threatened.
Some members of the Senate from the North Central zone were quietly warming up for the position in case Mark lost at the Court of Appeal.
With his victory, he had consolidated on his position.
The tenure provided an ample chance for Mark to define his presidency.
He called on his military background and experience as senator for eight years to apply himself to the task of running the Upper Chamber.
He was too experienced to know that money was at the root of the problems that a majority of his predecessors from the Southeast zone had with members.
And, what did he do?
He steered clear of senate funds.
In 2008, he caused to be returned to the nation’s treasury, in line with the requirement of Fiscal Responsibility Act, an unspent senate fund in the 2007 Supplementary Budget to the tune of N7 billion.
He could have caved in, as learnt, to pressure from members of the body of principal officers to speedily tie the money to some projects and contracts before the December 31, 2007 expiration date.
He never did.
Deploying other strategies, one of which was intense respect and concern for the socio-political and economic conditions of his colleagues whom he has always referred to as his bosses, Mark had, as far back as his first tenure, been able to win the support of his colleagues.
The import of the camaraderie played out in 2010 when he led the senate to intervene in the crisis of succession in the Umar Musa Yar’Adua-Goodluck Jonathan Presidency.
Mark’s senate was able to come up with the Doctrine of Necessity that enabled the Federal Legislature to invest in Jonathan (who was then acting president) the full constitutional powers of president.
Yar’Adua who was terminally ill died some few weeks afterward and Jonathan was sworn in as president.
Mark and some of his colleagues had ridden on the synergy between them and Jonathan to settle their political trajectories for 2011.
Mark’s victory at the PDP primary and in the general election was not encumbered.
His re-election as senate president was equally not.
He was returned unopposed unlike in 2007 when he had a gritty contest with the former governor of his State, George Akume, who in 2011 had to re-contest his Benue Northwest senate seat on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and is now the minority leader in the Upper Chamber.
With a few months to the expiry of the current 7th senate, the question is: will Mark seek re-election as candidate of Benue Zone C Senatorial District?
If he does and wins, will he seek re-election as senate president since the position is still ceded to the North Central zone by the PDP?
From all indications, the answers to these posers are yes.
This is the possibility that has got Mark’s opponents in Idoma land agitated.
They know Mark will run. And why not?!
If he runs, he will win, perhaps, as he has been winning because, more than ever before, his chances are brightest now when compared with those of his arch-rival, General Onoja (will he contest again?); his new challenger and former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Chief Mike Onoja; and others who may want to throw their hats into the ring.
It does not matter which party platform they use, especially now that the Benue South PDP has just endorsed Mark as sole candidate for the zone’s senatorial election.
I read the treatise by my friend, Adagbo Onoja, who is no relation of the two gentlemen mentioned above, in Newsdiary (an online publication), where he posited that Chief Onoja could be Mark’s nemesis.
Read Adagbo: “The interesting thing with Chief Onoja is that he could be David Mark’s nemesis. I am not too sure what the balance of sentiments for and against Mark is in Idomaland today but the Chief was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence when Abacha was Head of State, meaning that he was actually the Minister of Defence. He might not have been decked in the military fatigue but he was in a position to know one or two things about military officers, of which Mark was one.“
So, in him, Mark might find a tough challenger with the resources and advantages of bureaucratic politics. An extremely weak politician like Mark when it comes to mobilisational politics could be very vulnerable if his opponent is someone who knows one or two things about power. I am not sure it is conceit and vanity that makes Mark such a disaster in mobilisational politics…”
My friend, whom I have always respected as a left wing intellectual, had understandably raised the issue of (financial) resources, which is critical in a determined battle to unseat the senate president, before proceeding on a gambit to negatively profile Mark as a “disconnected” politician who is “extremely weak” when it comes to mobilisational politics.
I am not interested in the “if his (Mark) opponent is someone who knows one or two things about power” proposition in Adagbo’s effort to accentuate what he considered as Mark’s vulnerability.
Even the politically naïve would know that nobody in Idomaland has knowledge and experience in power politics whether within the military or political spheres that is superior to Mark’s.
This, anyhow, is a moot point.
Now this: I am not an Idoma man. Adagbo is.
He should be well at home with the sociological condition in his native land that has created the impression that the deficit in Mark’s politicking might not be his (perceived) conceit (arrogance) but mobilisational politics, which, he (Adagbo) claimed is not his (Mark’s) forte.
My quick take on this, however, is: how could he (Mark) have continued to win elections to the senate and even to the position of senate president if he has not been able to mobilise support or deploy deft mobilisational politics?
Therefore, to magisterially declare that Mark is wont to retreat into conspiratorial tactics to win election instead of mobiilising support is simply reductionist and unfair.
For me, the best way to mobilise support of the people in politics as a public office holder is to deliver on campaign promises.
It is to facilitate infrastructure transformation and human capital development.
Has Mark been able to mobilise democracy dividends to his people on which he can latch his fifth term bid to the senate? Yes!
I believe Mark’s imprimaturs in these areas are quite evident in Idomaland.
People can do their reality checks and interrogate Mark’s contributions to the development of Idomaland.
I think Adagbo has begun a good conversation, which should elicit different perspectives.
• Ojeifo, Editor-in-Chief of The Congresswatch magazine, sent this piece from Abuja
[myad]