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.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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