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.Dear Compatriots,
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. Continue...
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 fulfilment 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.
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