Dear Compatriots,
1. I extend warm greetings and felicitations to all Nigerians
as we celebrate our nation’s centenary; a significant milestone in our
journey to Nationhood.
2. One hundred years ago, on the 1st of January 1914, the
British Colonial authorities amalgamated the Southern and Northern
Protectorates, giving birth to the single geo-political entity called
Nigeria which has become our home, our hope, and our heritage.
3. I have often expressed the conviction that our
amalgamation was not a mistake. While our union may have been inspired
by considerations external to our people; I have no doubt that we are
destined by God Almighty to live together as one big nation, united in
diversity.
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN
4. I consider myself specially privileged to lead our country
into its second century of existence. And as I speak with you today, I
feel the full weight of our hundred-year history. But what I feel most
is not frustration, it is not disillusionment. What I feel is great
pride and great hope for a country that is bound to overcome the
transient pains of the moment and eventually take its rightful place
among the greatest nations on earth.
5. Like every country of the world, we have had our troubles.
And we still do. We have fought a civil war. We have seen civil
authorities overthrown by the military. We have suffered sectarian
violence. And as I speak, a part of our country is still suffering from
the brutal assault of terrorists and insurgents.
6. While the occasion of our centenary undoubtedly calls for
celebration, it is also a moment to pause and reflect on our journey of
the past one hundred years, to take stock of our past and consider the
best way forward for our nation.
7. Even as we celebrate our centenary, we must realise that
in the context of history, our nation is still in its infancy.
8. We are a nation of the future, not of the past and while we
may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination of
greatness.
9. The amalgamation of 1914 was only the first step in our
national journey. Unification was followed by independence and democracy
which have unleashed the enormous potentials of our people and laid the
foundation for our nation’s greatness.
10. In challenging times, it is easy to become pessimistic and
cynical. But hope, when grounded in realism, enables and inspires
progress. Therefore, as we celebrate our first century of nationhood and
enter a second, we must not lose sight of all that we have achieved
since 1914 in terms of nation-building, development and progress.
11. Today, we salute once again the great heroes of our nation –
Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello,
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alvan Ikoku, Chief
Harold Dappa-Biriye, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mallam
Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye and Chief Michael Imoudu among others.
12. We must be inspired by our past to overcome the obstacles we face
in the present and honour our forebears by realising the promise of a
Nigeria that is not only independent but also truly unified, prosperous
and admired the world over.
13. The history of Nigeria since independence is the story of a
struggle to fulfill our great promise. The discovery of oil in our
country in the late 1950s offered new hope of prosperity but we have not
always been able to reap the benefits in a fair and equitable way.
14. The situation was not helped by political instability and the
frequent suspension of democracy by military coups. During the civil
war, the very existence of our country was cast into doubt but through
it all, the promise of a Nigeria that is united, free and strong
remained in our people’s hearts.
15. Thanks to the efforts of our statesmen and women, and millions of
ordinary Nigerians, the union endured and flourished. I would like to
specifically commend members of the Armed Forces for their contributions
and sacrifices to keep Nigeria one.
16. General Yakubu Gowon had the wisdom and grace to declare that the
civil war had seen “no victor, no vanquished” and welcomed, “the dawn
of national reconciliation”.
17. It was in this spirit that General Olusegun Obasanjo collected
the instruments of surrender at the end of the war and later became the
first military ruler in our country to hand over power voluntarily to a
democratic government.
18. While the Second Republic did not last, his fine example was
later followed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who paved the way for our
current democratic dispensation which has lasted longer than the
previous three put together.
19. As we celebrate our centenary, I believe that it is vital that we
focus our thoughts on the vast potentials of a unified and progressive
Nigeria; and build on the relative stability of the Fourth Republic to
achieve accelerated national socio-economic development.
20. I also believe that the future greatness of our country is
assured by the favourable tail winds of a resilient population,
ecological diversity, rich natural resources and a national
consciousness that rises above our differences.
21. We are a unique country. We have been brought together in a union
like no other by providence. Our nation has evolved from three regions
to thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory.
22. We have transited from the Parliamentary to a Presidential system
of government. We have moved our capital from the coastal city of Lagos
to Abuja, at the centre of our country.
23. Today Abuja stands as a monument to our national aspiration for
greater unity; it symbolises our dream of a modern nation unhinged from
primordial cleavages and designed as a melting pot of our diversity.
24. If, in our first century, we could build a new capital city, we
can surely build a newer, stronger, more united and prosperous Nigeria
in the next century that will be an authentic African success story.
25. The whole world awaits this African success story. With our sheer
size, population, history, resilience, human and natural resources and
economic potentials, Nigeria is divinely ordained to lead the African
Renaissance.
26. That is why I am confident that in the next 100 years, those who
will celebrate Nigeria’s second centenary, will do so as a united,
prosperous and politically stable nation which is truly the pride and
glory of Africa and the entire black race.
27. The key to the fulfilment of that vision is our continued unity
as a nation. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories of our political
evolution in the last hundred years is that an ordinary child of
ordinary parentage from a minority group has risen to occupy the highest
office in our country.
28. As we march into the next hundred years, it is my hope that mine
will no longer be an extra-ordinary story but an accepted reality of our
democracy that every Nigerian child can pursue his or her dreams no
matter how tall; that every Nigerian child can aspire to any position in
our country, and will not be judged by the language that he speaks or
by how he worships God; not by gender nor by class; but by his abilities
and the power of his dreams.
29. I am proud and privileged to have been elected leader of Nigeria
and I consider it my solemn responsibility to act in the best interest
of the nation at all times.
30. Dear compatriots, in line with the thoughts of that great son of
our continent, Nelson Mandela, let us not judge ourselves, and let not
the world judge us by how many times we have stumbled, but by how
strongly we have risen, every single time that we have faltered.
31. Even as we remain resolute in our conviction that our union is
non-negotiable, we must never be afraid to embrace dialogue and
strengthen the basis of this most cherished union. A strong nation is
not that which shies away from those difficult questions of its
existence, but that which confronts such questions, and together
provides answers to them in a way that guarantees fairness, justice and
equity for all stakeholders.
32. My call for the National Conference in this first year of our
second century is to provide the platform to confront our challenges. I
am confident that we shall rise from this conference with renewed
courage and confidence to march through the next century and beyond, to
overcome all obstacles on the path to the fulfillment of our globally
acknowledged potential for greatness.
33. I have referred to national leaders who did so much to build our
nation in the past hundred years but nation-building is not just a
matter for great leaders and elites alone.
34. All Nigerians must be involved in this national endeavour. From
the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious diversities we must
continuously weave a vibrant collage of values that strengthen the
Nigerian spirit.
35. The coming National Conference should not be about a few,
privileged persons dictating the terms of debate but an opportunity for
all Nigerians to take part in a comprehensive dialogue to further
strengthen our union.
36. I am hopeful that the conference will not result in parochial
bargaining between competing regions, ethnic, religious and other
interest groups but in an objective dialogue about the way forward for
our nation and how to ensure a more harmonious balance among our three
tiers of government.
37. My dear compatriots, as we celebrate our centenary, the security
situation in some of our North-Eastern States, sadly remains a major
concern for us. Just yesterday, young students, full of hopes and dreams
for a great future, were callously murdered as they slept in their
college dormitories in Yobe State. I am deeply saddened by their deaths
and that of other Nigerians at the hands of terrorists. Our hearts go
out to their parents and relatives, colleagues and school authorities.
38. We will continue to do everything possible to permanently
eradicate the scourge of terrorism and insurgency from our country. We
recognise that the root cause of militancy, terrorism and insurgency is
not the strength of extremist ideas but corrupted values and ignorance.
39. That is why our counter-terrorism strategy is not just about
enforcing law and order as we have equipped our security forces to do.
It also involves expanding economic opportunities, social inclusion,
education and other measures that will help restore normalcy not just in
the short term, but permanently.
40. I want to reassure Nigerians that terrorism, strife and
insecurity in any part of Nigeria are abhorrent and unacceptable to us. I
urge leaders throughout Nigeria to ensure that ethnicity and religion
are not allowed to become political issues.
41. I hope and pray that one hundred years from now, Nigerians will
look back on another century of achievements during which our union was
strengthened, our independence was enhanced, our democracy was
entrenched and our example was followed by leaders of other nations
whose ambition is to emulate the success of Nigeria; a country that met
its difficulties head-on and fulfilled its promise.
42. Finally, Dear Compatriots, as we enter a second century in the
life of our nation, let us rededicate ourselves to doing more to empower
the youth of our country. Our common heritage and future prosperity are
best protected and guaranteed by them. We must commit our full energies
and resources to empowering them to achieve our collective vision of
greatness in this second century of our nationhood.
43. That is the task before our country; that is the cause I have chosen to champion and I believe we will triumph.
44. I wish all Nigerians happy Centenary celebrations.
45. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
46. I thank you
