—CENTENARY CELEBRATION
— Condemns religious, ethnic politics
— Assures of greater unity, stability
Despite the country’s attainment of 100 years of existence, Nigeria still remains an infant, so declared President Goodluck Jonathan.
Jonathan made the remark yesterday in a nationwide live radio and television broadcast, as part of the centenary celebration.
“Even as we celebrate our centenary, we must realise that in the context of history, our nation is still in its infancy,” he said.
“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.
“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,” he added.
He said the country’s unity is not negotiable because the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was ordained by God.
The president assured that the federal government would continue to put in place measures that would make the country more united, more prosperous and stronger in the comity of nations.
He said: “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.
The president said government was working hard to ensure that every Nigerian child lives his or her dream and rise to attain his or her potential irrespective of gender, tribe or class.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The president also condemned attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the northern part of the country, especially the recent murder of students at a college in Yobe state, assuring that government would see to the end of terrorism in the country.
He said: “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. 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.
“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.
“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,” Jonathan further pleaded.
