Buhari’s Independence
Day speech (Read Full Text)
INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY,
MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION
OF NIGERIA’S SIXTIETH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, THURSDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2020
Fellow Nigerians
I speak to you today as your President and
fellow citizen on this epoch occasion of our country’s 60th independence
Anniversary. As President, I wish to renew my appreciation to Nigerians for
entrusting me with your hopes and aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria.
2. Today, it is my unique privilege to re-commit
myself to the service of this great country of great people with profound
diversities and opportunities. We are bound by destiny to be the largest and
greatest black nation on earth.
3. At this stage in our nationhood it is
important that we reflect how we got here to enable us work TOGETHER to get to
where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal
in opportunity.
4. On October 1st 1960 when Prime Minister
Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa received the constitutional instruments
symbolizing Nigeria’s independence, he expressed his wish that having acquired
our rightful status as an independent sovereign nation, history would record
that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace.
5. This optimism was anchored on the peaceful
planning, full and open consultation and harmonious cooperation with the
different groups which culminated in Nigeria emerging as a country without
bitterness and bloodshed.
6. Our founding fathers understood the
imperative of structuring a National identity using the power of the state and
worked towards unification of Nigerians in a politically stable and viable
entity.
7. That philosophy guided the foundation that
was laid for our young nation of 45 million people with an urban population of
approximately 7million occupying an area of 910,768 square kilometers. These
demographics led to development challenges for which major efforts were made to
overcome.
8. Today, we grapple with multiple challenges
with a population exceeding 200million occupying the same land mass but 52%
residing in urban areas.
9. Sixty years of nationhood provides an
opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained
the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are
we on course? If not where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our
steps?
10. Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s
growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively
impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by
the 30-months of civil war.
11. We came out of the civil war with a focus on
reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation that enabled the country to
put in place world-class development structures and a strengthened public
service that well served the government. This positive trajectory continued
with a return to democratic government which was truncated by another round of
military rule.
12. For a cumulative 29 of our 60 years
existence as a nation, we have been under military rule.
13. My summary of our journey so far as a nation
is necessary to appropriately chart where we need to go and how to get there
TOGETHER.
14. Today, I am aware that our economy along
with every single economy in the world is in crisis. We still face security
challenges in parts of the country, while our society suffers from a high loss
of moral rectitude which is driven by unbridled craving for political control.
15. An underlying cause of most of the problems
we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived
fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.
16. In addition, institutions such as civil
service, police, the judiciary, the military all suffered from a general
decline.
17. We need to begin a sincere process of
national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to
eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie
they always are.
18. The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as
coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a
key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution
and integration.
19. To start this healing process, we are
already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such –
OUR PEOPLE – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in
many fields.
20. It has been demonstrated time and time again
that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology,
medicine, sports, arts and many other fields.
21. Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and
resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home have resulted in globally recognized
endeavours.
22. I am convinced that if we pursue our
aspirations TOGETHER we would be able to achieve whatever we desire. That
informed our adopting the theme TOGETHER to mark this epochal event.
23. Together we can change our condition for the
better and more importantly, together we can do much more for ourselves and for
our country.
24. I chose the path of self-reflection because
this is what I do on a daily basis and I must confess that at most times, I
always felt the need for a collective reflection as I know that the foundation
for a solid future which this administration is laying can only be sustainable
if there is a collective commitment by Nigerians.
25. Nigeria is not a country for Mr. President,
any ruling or opposition party but a country for all of us and we must play our
part, irrespective of challenges we face, to make this country what we desire.
26. To achieve this, we must focus our minds,
TOGETHER as a people, on ways of resolving the identified critical challenges
that underlie our present state. These include:
a. Evolving and sustaining a democratic culture
that leaves power in the hands of the people;
b. Supporting the enthronement of the rule of
law, demanding accountability of elected representatives and contributing to
good governance;
c. Increasing our commitment to peaceful
co-existence in a peaceful, secure and united Nigeria;
d. Harnessing and Optimizing our tremendous
human and natural resources to attain our goal of being in the top twenty
economies of the world and in the process;
e. Lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty
in 10 years;
f. Strengthening institutions to make them
stronger in protecting National Interests; and
g. Imbibing tolerance in diversity.
27. I am a firm believer in transparent, free,
fair and credible elections as has been demonstrated during my period as a
democratically elected President.
28. The recent build-up and eventual outcome of
the Edo State elections should encourage Nigerians that it is my commitment to
bequeath to this country processes and procedures that would guarantee that the
people’s votes count.
29. The problems with our electoral process are
mainly human induced as desperate desire for power leads to desperate attempts
to gain power and office.
30. Democracy, the world over and as I am
pursuing in Nigeria, recognizes the power of the people. However, if some
constituencies choose to bargain off their power, they should be prepared for
denial of their rights.
31. This call is made more urgent if we realise
that even after a transparent, free, fair and credible election, desperation
leads to compromising the judiciary to upturn legitimate decisions of the
people.
32. It is necessary to, therefore support the
enthronement of the rule of law by avoiding actions which compromise the
judiciary.
33. Fellow Nigerians, our history has shown that
we are a people that have the capacity to live peacefully with one another.
34. As a government, we remain committed to our
constitutional oath of securing the lives and properties of the citizenry. I,
however, call on the citizenry to also support government by providing the
necessary community level intelligence in addressing these challenges.
35. In moving forward together, it is important
to strengthen our economy to provide sustainable means of livelihood for as
many Nigerians as possible so as to eradicate absolute poverty from our midst.
36. I want to re-emphasize my dedication and
commitment, a dedication and commitment that propelled my public service career
and informed my quest to continually seek for an opportunity to improve the
lives of Nigerians, set the country on the path of prosperity and lead the
country to a better future.
37. This administration has been focused on
rebuilding and laying the foundations for a sustainable Nigeria. Of course, we
have met and are still meeting the challenges inherent in any rebuilding
initiative – more so that of a nation like Nigeria that has undergone avoidable
levels of deprivation – but can be surmounted if we all work together.
38. I wish to re-iterate that our people and our
spirit of excellence remains our most important asset.
39. In this wise, the need to return to our
age-old ethical and high moral values would be necessary and this informed my
launching of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy on Monday 28th September,
2020.
40. The policy would not implement itself and
the first contact of the visibility of its implementation is the Public Service
whose on-going reforms would be expected to be sustainable and give a radical
re-direction in providing services to all Nigerians.
41. Fellow Nigerians, in addition to public
health challenges of working to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, we have
suffered a significant drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal
revenues due to 40 per cent drop in oil prices and steep drop in economic
activities, leading to a 60 per cent drop in government revenue.
42. Our government is grappling with the dual
challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in face of drastically reduced
resources.
43. In this regard, sustaining the level of
petroleum prices is no longer possible. The government, since coming into
office has recognized the economic argument for adjusting the price of
petroleum. But the social argument about the knock-on effect of any adjustment
weighed heavily with the government.
44. Accordingly, in the last three years, we
have introduced unprecedented measures in support of the economy and to the
weakest members of our society in the shape of:
a. Tradermoni
b. Farmermoni
c. School Feeding Programme
d. Job creation efforts
e. Agricultural intervention programmes
45. No government in the past did what we are
doing with such scarce resources. We have managed to keep things going in spite
of the disproportionate spending on security. Those in the previous Governments
from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now
the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts.
46. In the circumstances, a responsible
government must face realities and take tough decisions.
47. Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be
adjusted. We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will
illustrate the point;
a. Chad which is an oil producing country
charges N362 per litre
b. Niger, also an oil producing country sells 1
litre at N346.
c. In Ghana, another oil producing country,
petroleum pump price is N326 per litre.
48. Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per
litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be
cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.
49. Fellow Nigerians, to achieve the great
country we desire, we need to solidify our strength, increase our commitment
and encourage ourselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one
is watching.
50. Fellow Nigerians, let us collectively
resolve to continue our journey beyond the sixty years on the clear
understanding that as a nation we are greater together than being smaller units
of nationalities. By the special grace of God we shall come through any
transient challenges.
51. It is my sincere hope that by the end of
this anniversary on September 30th 2021, we will all be proud of taking this
individual and collective self-assessment for the progress of our great Nation.
Long Live the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
God Bless us all. Thank
you.
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