President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR On the Occasion of His
Declaration of Intent to Run for the 2015 Presidential Elections under
the Platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Eagle Square, Abuja
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 terrorism.
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.
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 me.
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.
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
Programme, 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 on-going construction. The flagship Kashimbila
Multipurpose Dam which is being built to contain flood from Lake Nyos,
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 118000 ha, 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 Itape-Ajaokuta-Wari 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 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 hour 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 advance 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 standard 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
of 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 this Friday. This will
create millions of jobs and make Nigeria a regional hub.
35. In
addition, as a result of government 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 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 500billion naira have
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 in the First Consultant Hospital, as well
as the co-operation of Lagos and Rivers State, 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
sectors 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! We must produce what we consume and consume what we produce.
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 sister, 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 and 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 to
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 circumstance
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. We cannot
go back to the old ways! Our road infrastructure collapsed. We are
reconstructing, and expanding federal roads across the country.
82.
We cannot go back to the old ways! Our airport terminal buildings were
dilapidated and our airspace unsafe. We are fixing this.
83. We
cannot go back to the old ways! Our agricultural practices did not
benefit our farmers and our people. Fertilizer distribution was a major
source of fraud and we were importing food more than our budget can
carry. Now we are on our way to self-sufficiency in food production.
84. Do you want to go back to the old ways?
85.
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.
86. We cannot go back to the old ways, when women and
youths were denied opportunities in government and in responsible
positions.
87. Do you want to go back to the old ways?
88.
We cannot go back to the old ways! 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.
89. We cannot go back to
the old ways! Our economy is now the largest in Africa. Once, we were
virtually importing everything, now we are exporting several products,
including cement.
90. We cannot go back to the old ways! In 2009,
average life expectancy was 47 years, by the end of 2013, it was 52
years. Some of our hospitals now perform open heart surgeries, kidney
transplants and other challenging operations as we reposition our health
service to end decades of medical tourism that drains our scarce
resources.
91. We cannot go back to the old ways! Together, in
unity, we overcame Ebola, and in the process demonstrated the strength
of the Nigerian spirit. And together, united, we must maintain our
vigilance.
92. Do you want to go back to the old ways?
93.
We cannot go back to the old ways where individual freedoms were
trampled upon and citizens were locked up for expressing their views or
criticising government.
94. Do you want to go back to the old ways?
95.
We cannot go back to the old ways! We must continue to have free and
fair elections. We cannot go back to the era where ballot box snatching
and stuffing became the norm. Where your votes never counted.
96. Certainly, we cannot!
97. We have to move forward! Only forward!!, my dear people, Forward!!!
98.
In moving forward, I see a Nigeria that thirsts for progress with
children across the nation, eager for knowledge and safely in schools!
99. I see a Nigeria where all who have taken up arms, would again embrace peace!
100. I see a Nigeria where our women can aspire to any heights, without hindrance!
101. I see a Nigeria where the flames in the Eagles will rekindle, and the Falcons soaring higher in victory!
102.
I see a Nigeria where the children of Mustapha, and Christopher, Ade
and Ada, Timi and Bunmi, Nnamdi and Namadi, do not go hungry!
103. I see a Nigeria where all, no matter their beliefs, live in peace and harmony!
104. I see a Nigeria where the green passport is accorded a royal reception the world over!
105. I see a Nigeria where one day the next generation will take us to outer space.
106.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, leadership is about staying focused
to achieve goals despite challenges. I have been faced with many
challenges since coming to office as President. With your support and
encouragement, we have stayed the course.
107. We are succeeding,
against all odds. For the young Nigerian child, who grew up in the
rural area, just like me, we are expanding opportunities and giving them
hope. For the market woman, we are expanding opportunities. For our
young entrepreneurs, we are expanding opportunities. For the right of
our people to vote and for their voices to be heard, we are expanding
opportunities. For Nigerians to have the right to free speech, we are
expanding opportunities. For the job seekers, against all odds, we are
expanding opportunities.
108. While serving our people, I will
always ensure the rule of law. I do not intimidate, I expand the
democratic space. I give voice to the voiceless and uphold the weak, for
the nation belongs to us all. Fellow Nigerians, as we build our
democracy, leaders must show temperance at all times. That is a virtue,
one which I treasure, and will always uphold.
109. My people,
Nigeria is destined for greatness. Today, here at Eagle Square, I say to
Nigeria, that working together in love, in strength and in faith, we
will build a nation of one people, united in purpose and in action.
110. Fellow Nigerians, it is forward ever! We must put our hopes to work! Together, we will realize our collective destiny.
111. Thank you!!
112. God bless Nigeria!!
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