Today History was made at Eagle Square Abuja the federal Capital of Nigeria when against all odds, President Goodluck Jonathan declared his intention to run for the highest political position in our country - The Presidency. As early as 7.am supporters from all over the country flooded the venue to catch a glimpse of Mr. President and what he has to say. Nobody was disappointed by the time the august event was over after listening to the speech of Mr. President which was punctuated with loud ovation from the disciplined crowd. Reproduced below is the full speech of Mr. President as he declared. I am proud of the way Mr. President carried along every Nigerian, praising the opposition where necessary and highlighting the challenges ahead, and the way forward, his speech is a must read, I hereby produce it below for all to read and judge.
Dear Compatriots:
1. Four years ago, precisely September 18, 2010; I stood in this Eagle Square,
to offer myself for election as the President of our beloved country on the
platform of our great party; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
2. Seven months after that declaration, you elected me to lead this country
with overwhelming support from all parts of our Nation. I remain grateful for
the trust you reposed in me to lead our Nation through uncommon challenges in
our march of progress as a united and democratic country.
3. Over the years, the Almighty God has made it possible for me to develop a
bond with you and I am grateful for your support and understanding in the
difficult periods we have journeyed through.
4. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, our stewardship has not been without
challenges. We have had to deal with the wave of insurgency that has swept
through some parts of our dear country. Only yesterday, Government Science
Secondary School in Yobe State was bombed by insurgents, killing our promising
young children who were seeking education to build the country and support
their parents. Many Nigerians have lost their lives and property to these
mindless killings. Let me crave the indulgence of all present here to stand up
to observe a minutes silence in honour of these young lads who lost their
lives. Clearly, this has cast a dark cloud on our Nation but we will surely win
the war against terror. A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by
these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok. We will free our
daughters and defeat terror.
5. We are equipping the armed forces and deploying special forces to engage the
terrorist and end this senseless war. We must protect our country. We must save
our people. I will do everything humanly possible to end this criminal violence
in our Nation.
Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan (R) and Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo greet
supporters at a ceremony in Abuja on November 11, 2014. Nigeria’s President Goodluck
Jonathan on November 11 declared his bid for re-election, vowing to finally
defeat Boko Haram whose rise in strength during his first term has threatened
the country’s sovereignty. The 56-year-old made the announcement to tens of
thousands of supporters in the red, white and green of his ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), at a carefully orchestrated ceremony including
patriotic music, dancing, prayers and speeches. AFP PHOTO
6. To ensure the long term stability and development of the affected areas,
government has launched three programmes: The Presidential Initiative for the
North East, the Victim Support Fund and the Safe School Initiative. The
Presidential Initiative for the Northeast is focused on improving
infrastructure and economic growth in the region. The Safe School Initiative is
centred on creating a safe environment to encourage our children in the
communities to acquire education. The Victim Support Fund, a partnership with
the Private Sector, has raised about 60 billion Naira, which will help to
empower and rehabilitate victims of terror. I promise the victims of these
dastardly acts that we will continue to stand with you.
7. I am grateful to all Nigerians for standing with us.
8. Let me also thank the leaders and elders of our great party, the Peoples
Democratic Party, for the opportunity you have given to me to serve our
country, Nigeria.
9. I am overwhelmed by the trust, confidence and support of the various organs
of our party, the Board of Trustees, the National Caucus, the National
Executive Committee, the National Working Committee, the PDP Governors Forum,
members of the PDP Caucuses of the National Assembly, and others.
10. This day affords me the opportunity to continue the conversation of
development we started together. We must develop our country.
11. Infrastructure has been a major focus area of my administration and so, we
pursued the power sector reform to this point of irreversible progress. Nigeria
has undertaken a most transparent and corruption-free bidding process,
attracting global commendation. The on-going 450MW Azura Power Plant in Edo
State is a testimony to the success of this transformation.
12. We have also resumed development of our Hydro-Power potential, with the
construction of the 700MW Zungeru Hydro-Power Plant, while construction work on
the 3,050MW Mambilla Hydro-Power Plant is about to take off.
13. Our power generation and distribution companies have now been privatized.
We are firmly on the road to guaranteed regular power supply in the months
ahead. This our bold move, is paying off!
14. We are committed to environmental protection and conservation and reducing
vulnerability to climate change. In this regard, we have embarked on a number
of projects across the country. Of particular note is the African Great Green
Wall Programmed, where we have released about 16 billion naira for
implementation. The project will create a green belt across 11 states from
Kebbi to Borno.
15. In the past three and half years, the water sector has witnessed
unprecedented improvement. Access to potable water is now 67%, up from 58% in
2010, while sanitation coverage is 41%, from 32% within the same period.
16. Major developments in water include the completion of 37 Dams and
rehabilitation of 10, with several others under-going construction. The
flagship Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam which is being built to contain flood from
Lake Nyos in Cameroon, is now at 90% completion. We have also completed about
5,000 rural and semi urban water schemes.
17. We are reforming the National Urban Water supply programmes in 12 states,
with 385 formal and informal irrigation projects, covering a total land area of
118,000 hectares, cultivated mostly by small holder farmers. This has yielded
over 3 million metric tons of assorted grains and vegetables, with a market
value of about 45 billion naira
18. Before the advent of this administration, the Railway system was
practically dead. Today, we have revived the rail sector. The narrow gauge line
from Lagos to Kano has been rehabilitated with improved coaches providing
regular services. The rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line
is progressing with the Port Harcourt-Gombe segment as well as the branch line
from Kafanchan to Kaduna expected to be completed and fully operational by December
2014.
19. Already, work on the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail line, is progressing.
The tracks of the rail line will be completed by December this year 2014. Upon
completion of the project in the first quarter of 2015, it will be possible for
Nigerians to live in Kaduna and work in Abuja. The Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri
standard gauge line has attained an advanced stage, with the track completely
laid. We hope to commence full operation before the end of 2015.
20. Other segments of the new standard gauge speed train network are planned,
with contract already awarded for the Lagos –Ibadan Segment. There will be more
of such modern and faster rail connections in the coming years. Already,
discussions are now at advanced stage, for the Coastal rail line that will
traverse through 10 states, from Lagos through the South-South and South-East,
all the way to Calabar.
21. My administration has successfully completed the dredging of the lower
River Niger from Baro in Niger State to Warri in Delta State. The cheering news
is that over 6.7 million passengers and over 1.6 million tonnes of cargo have
been moved through this channel in less than three years.
22. I am happy to also report that our ports now operate 24 hours service,
which has led to the reduction of clearing time and improved efficiency.
23. When I assumed office in 2010, out of the 35,000km of federal roads
nationwide, only about 5,000km were motorable. Today, that number has increased
to about 25,000km. We expect to complete the remaining 10,000km in three years
while initiating new ones.
24. I made a commitment to build two new major bridges across the River Niger
and River Benue. Today, the new bridge over the River Benue, connecting Loko in
Nassarawa State to Oweto in Benue State has reached an advanced stage of
completion, while work has commenced on the Second Niger Bridge.
25. Beyond these, my administration has concluded plans to re-commence the
construction of Bodo-Bonny Road with three major bridges on the alignment that
will link the Island of Bonny with Rivers mainland.
26. Preliminary works have started on my administration’s planned
re-construction and expansion of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport
Road in Lagos to a world class entry point into our country. Only a few months
ago, work started on the dualization of Kano-Katsina Road. While many Nigerians
are celebrating the marked improvements on our roads, I want to assure that it
will get even better as we move forward.
27. In the pursuit of an integrated transportation system, we embarked on the
construction of five new Airport Terminal Buildings and Air-field facilities.
We are also re-constructing existing ones. The re-construction upon completion,
will lead to improved passenger processing, increased cargo handling capacity
and enhanced Air-field facilities that meet international standards and
improves safety. These efforts have been met with global acknowledgement
including the attainment and retention of the FAA Category One status.
28. In housing, we signed the National Housing Policy to kick-start the
framework for providing more affordable homes for our people. We have also
expanded the National Housing Fund to accommodate more Nigerians. We have
started a revolution in the housing sector with the start of the Nigerian Mortgage
and Refinanced Company (NMRC), a new initiative of my administration, that will
enable more citizens in the lower income bracket to become first time home
owners.
29. Our partners such as the World Bank group are supporting this with
US300million dollars interest free credit, while my administration will back it
with over 100billion naira in bonds. We are already processing 66,000 mortgage
applications for our young people. We have amended the PENCOM Act to enable the
pension funds invest in housing sector bonds. This will create a boom in the
housing sector.
30. In the Federal Capital Territory, we are rapidly building a befitting
National Capital by expanding and providing new infrastructure, developing ten
new districts and Satellite Towns to cater for the ever increasing population.
In no distant future, you will be able to arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport and proceed to the city using the Abuja Light Rail. In
addition to providing durable health, educational and transportation services,
we are also collaborating with Organized Labour to build functional, affordable
and social housing in Abuja.
31. Other critical capital developments that are being packaged by this
Administration include the development of the Ultra-Modern World Trade Centre,
the Abuja Town Centre, the Jabi Lake Comprehensive Centre, the Centenary City
and the Land Swap Districts. This private sector driven infrastructural
development will positively change the skyline of the city and provide the
required office and residential accommodation, shopping and recreation as well
as tourism and entertainment facilities in the FCT.
32. In our determination to encourage much greater participation of Nigerians
in the oil and gas industry, one of the first actions I took, was the enactment
of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act. As a result of
this law, indigenous Nigerian participation levels, in upstream and downstream
activities of the oil and gas industry have increased by over 45%, thereby
increasing employment opportunities for our youth.
33. We have also succeeded in eliminating the long queues that previously
characterised our filling stations, through regular and sustained product
supply.
34. Gas infrastructure to ensure adequate Gas to Power and Gas to Industry, is
being aggressively put in place. Over 450km of gas pipelines have been
installed over the last 3years. Another 2,000km is planned over the next
4years. Critical petrochemical and fertilizer facilities have commenced
including the gas industrial park in Delta State, for which I am scheduled to
perform the ground-breaking ceremony this Friday. This will create millions of
jobs and make Nigeria a regional hub.
35. In addition, as a result of government’s favourable policies the private
sector is investing over 12 billion dollars in the petrochemical sector, over
the next 4years. This will surely create millions of jobs for our people.
36. In terms of gas supply, we have grown from less than 500 million cubic feet
per day, 4years ago, to about 1.5 billion cubic feet per day currently. Our
goal is to attain 4 billion cubic feet per day, over the next 4years.
37. We have changed the face of agriculture. We moved agriculture away from a
development Programme to agriculture as a business. My vision is to create
wealth for our people through agriculture.
38. We have focused on encouraging the private sector to boost investments in
the agricultural sector. As a result, the number of seed companies rose from
five to eighty in the past three years. Private sector investment in the
agricultural sector expanded by $ US 5.6 billion across the Agricultural value
chain.
39. We ended decades of corruption in the fertilizer and seed sectors. We
developed a transparent and efficient system of reaching farmers directly with
subsidized farm inputs. Before our reforms, fertilizer procurement and
distribution took from the needy and gave to the greedy. We restored dignity
back to farmers.
Today, 14 million farmers, of which 2 million are women, access fertilizers
with their mobile phones, through an e-wallet system. Nigeria is the first
country in the world to develop an e-wallet system to reach farmers with
subsidized farm inputs on their mobile phones. Several African countries are
now borrowing this transparent and efficient e-wallet system for their own
countries.
40. Our national food production expanded by an additional 21 million metric
tons between 2011 and 2014, a record, exceeding our set target of 20 million
metric tons set for 2015. The Dangote Group, has committed to invest $US 1
billion in commercial rice production and processing. With all these
developments, we are expected to be an exporter of rice in the next five years.
This will be a new dawn!
41. The benefits are showing on our food imports. Our food import bill has
declined from 1.1 trillion Naira in 2009 to 684 billion Naira by December 2013,
even with our increasing population, a reduction of 40%.
42. Nigeria met its Millennium Development Goal One on reducing hunger and
extreme poverty, two years ahead of the 2015 target set by the United Nations,
and was given an award by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations.
43. To sustain this trend, we are encouraging young graduates through the
Nagropreneurs Programme to go into commercial Agriculture. We are also
encouraging our students in Post Primary Schools to embrace commercial
Agriculture through the National School Agriculture Programme.
44. My dear people, corruption remains a big challenge in our national life. It
corrodes our efforts at development and at motivating competence in critical
sectors of our national growth. We have eradicated it in the agricultural
sector and we will surely eradicate it in other sectors of our economy.
45. Going forward, my focus is to continue to reinforce institutions, systems,
and processes to tackle corruption, and also to bring to justice those that
perpetrate corruption. Through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information
System (IPPIS), we have weeded out 56,000 ghost workers from the Federal Civil
Service, saving 162 billion naira.
46. I have directed ICPC to bring the perpetrators of this criminal act to
book. Let this be very clear, public officers must live by example, fully
accounting for the national trust and resources in their care.
47. In our journey to progress, knowledge is indispensable. Knowledge is power!
This is why my administration established 14 new Universities out of which 12
are conventional and two are specialized Police and Maritime Universities.
Under my watch, every state in Nigeria, now has a Federal University.
48. In addition, over 500 billion naira has been spent, through the Tertiary
Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the special NEEDS assessment fund on various
projects to increase access and improve the quality of infrastructure at the
tertiary level of our education system.
49. To provide equal access and opportunities in education and ensure that no
Nigerian child is left behind, we have established and equipped 150 Almajiri
Schools across the Northern states and the Out-of-School-Children Programme
including Specialized Boys and Girls Schools across the country.
50. Fellow Nigerians, our country was faced with a major National security,
humanitarian, and economic threat in the form of the Ebola Virus Disease, which
arrived in the country on July 20, 2014, by way of a foreign national, Mr
Patrick Sawyer.
51. Realizing the imminent threat, I declared a national emergency, pulling
states, local and federal government into action as well as individual
Nigerians to combat this disease. Without the quick action of patriotic
Nigerians at the First Consultants Hospital, as well as the co-operation of
Lagos and Rivers States, where the disease occurred, working with the Federal
Ministry of Health and the co-operation of all Nigerians we could not have
succeeded in overcoming this deadly disease. Fellow Nigerians, we stopped Ebola
together.
52. Just as we stopped Ebola, we are on our way to eradicating the Polio Virus
in our country. We have reduced the incident of new Polio Virus from 300 in
2010, to 6 today.
53. My brothers and sisters, to encourage entrepreneurship and self-reliance
among our teeming graduates, we have developed creative opportunities for
enterprise for our young people.
54. Programmes such as YouWIN, the Graduate Internship Scheme, the
Nagropreneurs Initiative, the 220 Billion Naira Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises Development Fund and the 3 Billion Naira Grant to Nollywood are
empowering our graduates, the creative industry and other young people to start
up their own businesses and employ others.
55. We have supported the growth of industry through policy and action. We
launched The National industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), and the National
Enterprise Development Programme as key drivers to bring about our desires in
the industrial sector and to diversify our economy. Our new National Automobile
Policy is transforming Nigeria into a vibrant hub for the automobile industry.
Our own Innoson Motors is producing world standard vehicles, and Nissan, Hyundai,
and Kia, have set up factories in Nigeria and are employing thousands of our
people.
56. Our support for cement production is unprecedented. We have increased our
installed capacity from 16.5 million metric tons per annum in 2011 to 39.5
million metric tons per annum in 2014. Nigeria is now exporting cement. We are
moving forward!
57. Our efforts to create an enabling environment for job creation in different
sectors of the economy including the MSME sector, agriculture, housing and
manufacturing have yielded results. Between the third quarter of 2012, when we
started tracking jobs created and the end of 2013, 1.9 million jobs were
created. To deepen our success in this area, I have created a Presidential Jobs
Creation Board headed by the Vice President with the mandate to create at least
two million jobs a year.
58. My brothers and sisters, our economy is heading in the right direction and
our efforts are yielding positive results. Our economy continues to grow at the
rate of 6 to 7 percent annually, one of the highest in the world. Our country
is now the top investment destination and the largest economy in Africa, with a
GDP of 80trillion naira (510billion dollars) as well as the 26th largest
economy in the world.
59. As part of its efforts to support inclusive growth and economic development
in Nigeria through the CBN, my administration has created and disbursed the sum
of 200billion naira via the Commercial Agric and Credit scheme, 300billion
naira Power and Aviation fund, 220billion naira Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise Fund, as well as 300 billion naira rail sector refinancing
facilities at single digit interest rate. We will continue to deepen the
reforms in the financial sector, in order to sustain the growth of our economy
and uplift our people from poverty to prosperity.
60. Dear Compatriots, I promised as President, that we would sanitize and
restore integrity in our electoral process, by ensuring that our votes are not
only counted, but truly count. We have gone to great length to ensure transparent,
free, fair, and credible elections. Elections have been conducted across the
country with local and international election observers testifying to their
transparency.
61. On the international scene, we have advanced our regional, continental and
global objectives. We have strengthened our relationships with our neighbours
and in many instances supported them to protect their democracy, security and
stability. We are serving for a second time within a period of 4 years at the
United Nations Security Council. This is unprecedented in our Nation’s history.
My brothers and sisters, this is a growing attestation of our country’s growing
influence.
62. In the first quarter of this year, our country celebrated its centenary. To
prepare the nation for the challenges of the next one hundred years, I convened
a National Conference where recommendations and resolutions were reached
towards a more perfect union. We shall implement the report.
63. Four years ago, I made a commitment to advance the rise of womanhood.
Today, I am glad that we have made remarkable progress in this regard, trusting
in the potential of our women and reaping from their dedication and ingenuity.
I believe that any nation that ignores womanhood cannot achieve its full
potential. It is in this regard that I ensured that women were given more
opportunities in government, and I have not been disappointed.
64. Specifically, I doubled the percentage of women in the cabinet and gave
them more challenging assignments.
65. The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), is now admitting female cadets as
regular combatants and it is now possible for a woman to rise through the ranks
to the peak in military service, and become a full general.
66. We must continue to sustain the banner of freedom and justice that we have
held high in our country. I am proud to say that there are no political
prisoners in Nigeria today. No Nigerian has been driven into exile and no one
will be, under my watch.
67. It is in furtherance of a peaceful, participatory and inclusive democracy
that I signed the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill into law, to expand the
frontiers of our fundamental freedom.
68. Let me re-affirm that under a Jonathan Presidency, your views, no matter
how freely expressed, will not send you to prison or into exile.
69. I am convinced that I have kept my pact with Nigerians, and it is now time
to look to the future. With your tremendous support, we have collectively done
so much in the last three and half years, but to take our country to the next
level, there is still more to be done.
70. History has shown that the path of honour for any true leader is not to
walk away from his people in moments of challenges. We must stand together in
adversity and overcome all threats to our development. We must defend our future,
for the sake of our children.
71. So many things have inspired me in the journey to this moment. I want to
appreciate ordinary Nigerians, especially young people, for the solidarity
shown to me by contributing their meagre resources to enable me arrive at this
point.
72. I appreciate the kind gesture of the Cattle Breeders Union, Miyetti Allah,
and the Market Women Association, who encouraged me by coming together to
contribute to the purchase of my Nomination form.
73. In the same vein, I am touched by the National Association of Widows who
also encouraged me with their widow’s mite.
74. This labour of love, from ordinary Nigerians, has increased my appreciation
of your solidarity, my trust in our joint destiny, and all we have achieved
together these past three and half years.
75. Therefore, after seeking the face of God, in quiet reflection with my
family and having listened to the call of our people nationwide to run, I,
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, have accepted to re-present myself, on the
platform of The Peoples’ Democratic Party, for re-election as the President of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the 2015 general elections.
76. Democracy is a collective action, energized by individual responsibility.
Your mandate at this time will inspire in me the strength to complete the good
work we have started together.
77. My dear people of Nigeria, we must complete the task of ensuring that we
lift the poor out of the depth of want, and place their feet firmly on the
ladder of prosperity.
78. In this election season, I appeal to all of you, not to harm, maim or kill;
and not to incite violence of any kind. We must never forget our common bond,
one people from the womb of one Nigeria. Again I say: My ambition to serve you
is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. I remain committed to this principle of
non-violence.
79. If you believe that we must build a country that works for all, where the
strong lift up the weak, and not trample upon them, where the vote of every
citizen determines who governs or represents you, where the democratic space is
open to all citizens to fulfil their aspirations, irrespective of the
circumstances of birth, your brother, Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan stands
ready to continue in service to you.
80. My brothers and sisters, we cannot go back to the old ways! Our railways
were allowed to rot in neglect, we have revived and are modernising them.
81. Our road infrastructure collapsed. We are reconstructing, and expanding
federal roads across the country.
82. Our airport terminal buildings were dilapidated and our airspace unsafe. We
are fixing this.
83. Our agricultural practices did not benefit our farmers and our people.
Fertilizer distribution was a major source of fraud and we were importing more
food than our budget could support. Now we are on our way to self-sufficiency
in food production.
84. We cannot go back to the old ways, where there were long queues at our
filling stations due to irregular supply of products and our people were
exploited.
85. We cannot go back to the old ways, when women and youths were denied
opportunities in government and in responsible positions.
86. We had skewed distribution of tertiary institutions. Whereas some states
had more than one degree awarding institution, some had none. We have now made
sure all states have at least one Federal University.
87. Our economy is now the largest in Africa. Once, we were virtually importing
everything, now we are exporting several products, including cement.
