Text of Jonathan’ s New Year broadcast

NEW YEAR BROADCAST TO THE NATION BY
GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN , GCFR ,
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF
NIGERIA , JANUARY 1, 2015.
Dear Great People of our nation ,
1 . I greet and felicitate with you all as we
enter the New Year today. As we mark the
beginning of this New Year , 2015 , a new
nation is being born. A new nation is being
born because of the foundations we have
all laid , working together for the good
and progress of our dear fatherland.
2 . I join you all in thanking God Almighty
who has brought us this far , for
continually bestowing His Grace upon us
and for guiding our great nation safely
through all the challenges of the past
year .
3 . This year , as in the year past, I reaffirm
my commitment to work to ensure a secure
future for our dear country and the
generations yet unborn .
4 . Last year , we celebrated our hundredth
year of nationhood . The year brought us
further progress , challenges and fresh
opportunities .
5 . We have contended with the normal
challenges of nation -building and the
unusual challenges of terrorism.
6 . But we have continued to vigorously
confront those who seek to destroy the
bonds of unity that hold us together.
7 . On this first day of the New Year , I want
to pay special tribute to the gallant
officers , men and women of our Armed
Forces and other security agencies who
have been in the forefront of the war
against terrorism and violent extremism in
our country and sub - region.
8 . I also commend all Nigerians who have
remained vigilant and cooperative with
our security agencies in the fight against
the common enemy.
9 . We are re- equipping and re-positioning
our armed forces to enhance their capacity
to win the ongoing war against terror and
insurgency.
10. Regrettably , terrorists have unleashed
much pain and agony on our land. They
have made widows of our mothers and
sisters and orphans of our children . They
have shut down businesses , desecrated
places of worship and brought untold
hardship to both men and women . They have
violated the culture and peaceful way of
life in our country , which took generations
to build.
11. They have destroyed countless schools
and displaced people from their
communities , driving them into exile .
12. I want to assure you that the
terrorists will not get away with their
atrocities : they will not win ; they will be
routed . As President, I feel the pain of all
affected communities and families . I hear
their cries and share their sorrow and
pain .
13. We will not forget ; we will not look the
other way. We have done a lot of
painstaking planning and work to resolve
the current security challenge. We will
bring justice to the savage terrorists
known as Boko Haram. They will be defeated .
14. That is the solemn commitment I make
today as President of the Federal
Republic , and Commander -in- Chief of our
Armed Forces.
15. By the Special Grace of God , the Federal
Government, under my leadership , has
continued , in the past four years to lead
our country forward , even under the most
trying circumstances .
16. The progress we have made in priority
areas bears us testimony .
17. Amongst other achievements, we have
rehabilitated and expanded our rail
transportation network, successfully
privatized power generation and
distribution , significantly reformed and
increased local participation in our oil
and gas industry , and improved nationwide
access to potable water from 57% in 2010, to
70% at present.
18. We have also made significant progress
in improving access to primary , secondary
and tertiary education by building and
equipping more schools, including special
Almajiri schools, and establishing
additional universities to ensure that
each state of the nation now has at least
one Federal University .
19. Our national economy maintained a
steady growth rate of close to seven per
cent in the past four years and millions of
fresh employment opportunities were
created for our people as a direct
consequence .
20. Recently , we launched the Youth
Employment in Agriculture Programme
( YEAP) and the $100 million dollars
Government and Donor Fund for
Agriculture Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) to
fast -track the positive transformation of
our agricultural sector .
21. The Youth Employment in Agriculture
Programme ( YEAP ) targets 750, 000 market -
oriented young agricultural producers
while the $100 million dollars Fund is to
provide affordable long- term financing to
support the development of small and
medium agribusinesses in the country .
22. This is in addition to a N50 billion Farm
Mechanization Support Fund set up by the
Central Bank to establish 1,200
agricultural equipment- hiring
enterprises .
23.
23. Both funds will become fully
operational this year. Policies and
programmes such as these to boost
agricultural production remain topmost on
the agenda of this administration.
24. Being very conscious of the inherent
perils of our over- reliance on income from
crude oil exports for national
development , we have focused on
accelerating the diversification of our
economy.
25. The non -oil Sector which has grown by
an average of 8 % in the last few years, is
now a major driver of growth in our
economy.
26. The 2015 national budget , which is now
before the National Assembly , is targeted
at deepening our efforts at becoming a non -
oil economy.
27. The budget also includes measures to
ensure that the downturn in the price of
oil does not affect our development plans
and our national economy too adversely . We
are adjusting our financial processes to
safeguard our economy. We are also taking
steps to ensure that the poor and the low
and medium income earners do not bear the
brunt.
28. In 2015 , this administration will
continue to lay the foundation for a
vibrant economy that attracts significant
Foreign Direct Investment and promotes
policies that ensure economic stability.
29. We will ensure stability in the value of
the Naira by striving to take away
speculative behaviours that cause market
exchange pressures.
30. We will continue to build and maintain a
healthy external reserves position and
strengthen fiscal buffers . We will ensure
the Naira remains strong , and gives
foreign investors the clarity and
certainty that they need , to guide future
investment decisions .
31. We will continue to improve our payment
systems and strengthen risk -based
supervision mechanism for Nigerian banks
to ensure overall health and stability of
the banking system .
32. We are introducing a broad spectrum of
financial instruments to boost sector -
specific enterprise areas in agriculture,
Micro , Small and Medium Scale Enterprises
( MSMEs), manufacturing, and oil and gas to
enhance our aggregate supply capacity ,
reduce poverty, promote job creation and
increase the general well- being of our
people .
33. These efforts and other measures being
spearheaded by relevant Ministries ,
Departments and Agencies, are geared to
ensure a secure future for Nigeria and
create a much more prosperous country ,
where people live more peaceful and
fulfilled lives .
Fellow countrymen and women,
34. As we enter an election year, I assure
you that our administration will remain
fully focused on providing good governance
and the delivery of better public services
to our people.
35. The coming campaigns and elections will
not distract us from our ongoing work to
significantly improve the living conditions
of our people . And I urge all tiers of
government not to be distracted as well .
36. The elections are very important for us
as a country. Their successful conclusion
will further strengthen our democratic
institutions and place our beloved country
even more firmly in the comity of truly
democratic nations.
37. Given the challenges that have
characterized some previous electoral
contests in our country, the eyes of the
world will certainly be on the conduct and
outcome of our fifth post- military rule
general elections .
38. I reassure all Nigerians and the
international community of our firm
commitment to free, fair and credible
elections . My commitment to free elections
and one man, one vote remains unwavering .
39. Our administration has worked hard in
previous elections to prepare all key
stakeholders including the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC ),
security agencies and the electorate
optimally , to ensure a progressively
improved electoral process in the country
under my watch . We will continue to do so
for the coming elections .
40 . We will continue to provide adequate
funding to INEC and maintain the
Commission ’s independence and isolate it
from any form of interference or meddling
in its day -to-day affairs. This shall
continue to guarantee its impartiality and
ability to conduct more credible and
acceptable elections .
41. National security agencies will also be
given all necessary support to enhance
their ability to ensure that the elections
are peaceful and violence- free. The
Nigeria Police has already established an
Elections Security Planning and
Monitoring Unit .
42. I am optimistic that with the
cooperation of all law - abiding citizens of
the country , our commitment to have a
peaceful and violence- free election will be
actualized .
43. I will like to say this, once again, to my
fellow politicians and political leaders.
None of our political ambitions is worth
the blood of any of our countrymen , women
and children. The improvement of their
lives and living conditions ought to be our
primary motive and the driving force of
our quest for political power and
leadership positions .
44 . Let us not promote sectionalism ,
disunity , intolerance, hate , falsehood or
the malicious abuse of political opponents.
Whatever we feel or seek , we must have a
nation and a people before we can dream of
political ambitions. Let us put the nation
and the people first.
45. Let us all conduct our electoral
campaigns with the highest possible
decorum and civility towards political
opponents . Let us give INEC the fullest
possible support and cooperation it
requires to conduct credible and violence -
free elections in 2015.
46. After the 2011 general elections , some
unpatriotic elements embarked on an orgy
of violence, resulting in the destruction of
lives and property . That will not be
allowed to happen this time around. This
government will act decisively against
anyone who disrupts the public peace ,
before , during or after the 2015 general
elections .
47. All Nigerians, of voting age , are free to
vote based on their convictions. It is our
duty to defend and protect that basic
right, and let no one be in doubt, we will.
48 . Fellow Nigerians, I urge all of you to
enter the New Year with renewed zeal and
patriotism , to serve our fatherland with
love , honesty, faithfulness and hope for a
greater tomorrow .
49. As I have always maintained , none of
the challenges before us is
insurmountable . We must come together as a
people and work with single- minded unity
of purpose to overcome them.
50. Nigeria is a key country in Africa . We
must work together to maintain our
strategic position and collaborate with
others to move the continent forward. I
call for peace in Africa and an end to all
conflicts in our continent. I urge all
Africans to promote democracy in their
respective countries to ensure faster
development of the continent and faster
economic and political integration.
51. We will continue to pray and offer
hands of fellowship and assistance to our
fellow Africans suffering from the Ebola
Virus Disease. I urge all Nigerians to show
compassion and contribute in whatever way
we can to help our African brothers and
sisters .
52. As we go into this New Year , I salute the
indomitable and resilient spirit of our
people in Nigeria and wherever they are in
the world . Our spirit of enterprise and the
doggedness to succeed amongst all odds has
been our strength .
53. With our collective prayers and
efforts, we will grow our economy and our
people will become wealthier. Government
will continue with programmes
deliberately designed to create more jobs
for our youth, to enable them contribute
more to the growth and development of our
nation .
54. Let us continue our march to the
future , towards the attainment of our
collective vision of a strong , united ,
prosperous and harmonious nation – a
secure nation for us and for our coming
generations .
55. I wish you all a happy and fulfilling
2015 .
56. God bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
57. Happy New Year, Nigeria!
58. I thank you all.