Nigeria At 56: Read President Buhari’s Independence Speech [Full Text]
Today
– 1st October is a day of celebration for us Nigerians. On this day, 56
years ago our people achieved the most important of all human desires –
freedom and independence. We should all therefore give thanks and pray
for our founding fathers without whose efforts and toil we would not
reap the bounties of today.
2. I know that uppermost in your minds today is the economic crisis.
The recession for many individuals and families is real. For some It
means not being able to pay school fees, for others it’s not being able
to afford the high cost of food (rice and millet) or the high cost of
local or international travel, and for many of our young people the
recession means joblessness, sometimes after graduating from university
or polytechnic.
3. I know how difficult things are, and how rough business is. All my
adult life I have always earned a salary and I know what it is like
when your salary simply is not enough. In every part of our nation
people are making incredible sacrifices.
4. But let me say to all Nigerians today, I ran for office four times
to make the point that we can rule this nation with honesty and
transparency, that we can stop the stealing of Nigeria’s resources so
that the resources could be used to provide jobs for our young people,
security, infrastructure for commerce, education and healthcare.
5. I ran for office because I know that good government is the only
way to ensure prosperity and abundance for all. I remain resolutely
committed to this objective.
6. I believe that this recession will not last.
7. Temporary problems should not blind or divert us from the
corrective course this government has charted for our nation. We have
identified the country’s salient problems and we are working hard at
lasting solutions.
8. To re-cap what I have been saying since the inception of this
administration, our problems are security, corruption and the economy,
especially unemployment and the alarming level of poverty.
9. On Security, we have made progress. Boko Haram was defeated by
last December – only resorting to cowardly attacks on soft targets,
killing innocent men, women and children.
10.Nigerians should thank our gallant men of the Armed Forces and
Police for rescuing large areas of the country captured by insurgents.
Now, residents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, as well as several
neighbouring states go about their daily business in relative safety.
People can go to mosques, churches, market places in reasonable safety.
11. Commuters can travel between cities, towns and villages without
fear. Credit for this remarkable turn-round should go to our Armed
Forces, the Police, various sponsored and private vigilante groups, the
local traditional leaders. Security is a top to bottom concern and
responsibility.
12. Besides Boko Haram, we are confronting other long-running
security issues, namely herdsmen vs farmers, cattle rustling,
kidnappings. This Administration is firmly resolved to tackle these
challenges and to defeat them.
13. A new insurgency has reared up its head in the shape of blowing
up gas and oil pipelines by groups of Niger Delta Militants. This
Administration will not allow these mindless groups to hold the country
to ransom.
14. What sense is there to damage a gas line as a result of which
many towns in the country including their own town or village is put in
darkness as a result? What logic is there in blowing up an export
pipeline and as a result income to your state and local governments and
consequently their ability to provide services to your own people is
reduced?
15. No group can unlawfully challenge the authority of the Federal
Government and succeed. Our Administration is fully sympathetic to the
plight of the good people of Niger Delta and we are in touch with the
State Governments and leaderships of the region. It is known that the
clean-up of the Ogoniland has started. Infrastructural projects financed
by the Federal Government and post amnesty programme financing will
continue.
16. We have however, continued to dialogue with all groups and leaders of thought in the region to bring lasting peace.
17. Corruption is a cancer which must be fought with all the weapons
at our disposal. It corrodes the very fabric of government and destroys
society. Fighting corruption is Key, not only to restoring the moral
health of the nation, but also to freeing our enormous resources for
urgent socio-economic development.
18.In fighting corruption, however, the government would adhere
strictly by the rule of law. Not for the first time I am appealing to
the judiciary to join the fight against corruption.
19. The Third Plank in this Administration’s drive to CHANGE Nigeria
is re-structuring the economy. Economies behaviour is cyclical. All
countries face ups and downs. Our own recession has been brought about
by a critical shortage of foreign exchange. Oil price dropped from an
average of hundred USD per barrel over the last decade to an average of
forty USD per barrel this year and last.
20. Worse still, the damage perpetrated by Niger Delta thugs on
pipelines sometimes reduced Nigeria’s production to below One million
barrels per day against the normal two point two million barrels per
day. Consequently, the naira is at its weakest, but the situation will
stabilize.
21. But this is only temporary. Historically about half our dollar
export earnings go to importation of petroleum and food products!
Nothing was saved for the rainy days during the periods of prosperity.
We are now reaping the whirlwinds of corruption, recklessness and
impunity.
22.There are no easy solutions, but there are solutions nonetheless
and Government is pursuing them in earnest. We are to repair our four
refineries so that Nigeria can produce most of our petrol requirements
locally, pending the coming on stream of new refineries. That way we
will save ten billion USD yearly in importing fuel.
23. At the same time, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the
Central Bank have been mobilized to encourage local production of rice,
maize, sorghum, millet and soya beans. Our target is to achieve domestic
self-sufficiency in these staples by 2018.
24. Already farmers in thirteen out of thirty six states are
receiving credit support through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor
Borrowers Programme. Kebbi state alone this year is expected to produce
one million tonnes of locally grown rice, thanks to a favourable harvest
this year. As part of the 13 states, Lagos and Ogun are also starting
this programme. Rice alone for example costs Nigeria two billion USD to
import.
25.The country should be self-sufficient in basic staples by 2019.
Foreign exchange thus saved can go to industrial revival requirements
for retooling, essential raw materials and spare parts. It is in
recognition of the need to re-invigorate agriculture in our rural
communities that we are introducing the LIFE programme.
26. Government recognises that irrigation is key to modern
agriculture: that is why the Ministries of Agriculture and Water
Resources are embarking on a huge programme of development of lakes,
earth dams and water harvesting schemes throughout the country to ensure
that we are no longer dependent on rain-fed agriculture for our food
requirements.
27. In addition, government is introducing Water Resources Bill
encompassing the National Water Resources Policy and National Irrigation
and Drainage Policy to improve management of water and irrigation
development in the country. We are reviving all the twelve River Basin
Authorities, namely;
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