President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday
that Nigeria has the potentials to lead Africa
if public office holders, politicians and
indeed, the citizenry, stop being selfish.
The President recalled his encounter with
United States President Barack Obama when
the latter revealed that about 25, 000
medical consultants work in the U.S., the
number which the US leader said, was
crucial to the American economy.
Jonathan said that Nigeria has what it takes
to lead the African continent, considering
the country’s human and natural resources.
The President spoke at the New Year service
held at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-
Cathedral, Catholic Church in Area 3, Abuja.
The service was attended by dignitaries
including Senate President David Mark.
He challenged politicians to plan for the next
generation instead of wasting all energies on
their own personal interests, adding that
there was no need for anyone to heat up the
polity in the struggle for political offices as
the Constitution does not back life tenure for
president and governors except members of
the National Assembly.
Jonathan said Nigeria has great potentials to
lead Africa as was observed by world leaders
including President Obama, assuring that he
was convinced that this year would be better
than 2013.
“All what we need to do is to make sure that
we continue to do things rightly. That is why
I always plead with my fellow politicians
that yes, we must play the politics, but let us
take the interest of the country more than
our own individual interest. And as we
continue to play the politics in that direction,
leaders will come and go, but the country
will stay.
“Luckily, we have a Constitution that says
that nobody will be a governor or president
forever. It is only in the parliament that you
can be there till you die. As long as we
consider the interest of our country, children,
grandchildren and we begin to plan for the
next generation instead of wasting all our
energies to think about ourselves, before we
get to the next 100 years, the country will be
better. Nigeria can even change in the next
few years and things will be better for
everybody.”
On security, he again said Nigeria is not an
isolated case, assuring that the country will
certainly overcome the challenges. “Just like
Senate President David Mark mentioned, the
world as a whole is facing a lot of challenges
within this period. If you switch on your
television and if you flip through the
newspapers, there are always breaking news
and the breaking news are not positive news.
Whenever I see breaking news, you know
there is one crisis somewhere in the wor
d.
“We are reading about crises everywhere.
And our country too, unfortunately, we also
have our own fair share of crises. There is
the issue of Boko Haram and the excesses of
the militia groups, kidnapping in southern
Nigeria. Boko Haram terrorist activities in
the northern part of the country, but
government is committed to bring this to an
end”, he said.
On the economy, the President said: “As we
enter the New Year, we will surely get our
economy to continue to move in the right
direction and in the direction we want it to
move. We shall continue to work hard to
make sure that not just that the economy will
be growing based on economic parameters
and indices, but that jobs are available for
our young men and women and that food is
cheap in our markets for ordinary people to
buy and eat. That is the commitment of
government”.
To deliver more dividends of democracy and
good governance, he promised to work hard
with the National Assembly, his cabinet and
other officers of government.
“Despite our challenges, all what we
continue to request from you is your
continuous prayers because we believe and
luckily we are in a Christian congregation,
we believe that no matter what an
individual think he is, if God doesn’t want
you to succeed in achieving anything, you
will not. You will get so close to it but at the
end of the day, you will not get it.
“I remember the second time I met President
Obama after 2011 elections, he said that
Nigeria has the potentials to lead Africa and
Nigeria has the potential to be a great
country. He said in America, we have over
25,000 Nigerian medical consultants
working in the health system, not just people
with MBBS but consultants, over 25,000. And
that today, if all these Nigerians leave, they
will have a lot of challenges in the health
system of America. And that is the President
of the number one country now. He believes
that Nigeria has a lot of potentials.”
On Nigeria’s centenary celebration, he said:
“Surely, the country will get to where it
wants to get to. Today is a special day, very
special. January 1, 2014 because we have
been informing you that the amalgamation
of our country to what we now call Nigeria
happened on the 1st of January, 1914.
Today, modern Nigeria is one hundred years
old.”
“The formal ceremony will take place by late
February, the programme will soon be
advertised for all Nigerians to see and know
the areas they will participate because it is a
programme for all of us. All the religious
houses will be involved in one form of
prayer or the other.”
“So, today, we are not just celebrating the
new year but we are also celebrating a
special new year. A new year that Nigeria,
modern Nigeria is 100 years. And we use
this period to begin to think what will be
Nigeria in the next 100 years”, Jonathan
said.
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