Full text of President Jonathan'sDeclaration Speech today

Below is the full text of president Jonathan's
declaration speech today Nov. 11 at the
Eagle's Square
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 YobeState 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 wholost 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
PDPCaucuses 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 administrationand 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 AfricanGreat Green Wall
Programmed, where we have
released about 16 billionnaira 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
45billion 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, itwill 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-Southand
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 Warriin 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 10,000kmin 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
MurtalaMuhammed 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 alsore-
constructing existing ones.The re-
construction upon completion, will
lead to improved passenger
processing, increased cargo
handling capacity and enhancedAir-
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 NigerianMortgage 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 thepension funds invest
inhousing 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 NnamdiAzikiwe 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 enactmentof 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 characterisedour 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 andfertilizerfacilities
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 millionsof 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 than500million
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
specializedPolice 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
Nollywoodare 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 26 th largest
economy in the world.
59. As part of its efforts to support
inclusive growth and economic
development in Nigeriathrough 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 thegrowth of our
economy and uplift our people from
poverty to prosperity.
60. Dear Compatriots, I promised as
President,that we wouldsanitizeand
restoreintegrity 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
4years 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 notbeen
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, GoodluckEbeleAzikiweJonathan,
have acceptedto 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,
GoodluckEbeleAzikiweJonathan
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
expandingfederal 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 onedegree
awarding institution, some had
none. We have nowmade 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
virtuallyimporting 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!!