2002 Independence Day Presidential Speech

Today marks the forty second anniversary of our country as independent state. It has been forty-two years during which we have experienced joy and sorrow, tragedy and triumph, despair and hope.

We have always emerged from every crisis that threatened the peace, unity and stability of our country, and each time with greater confidence, and with greater resolve. We must also remind ourselves that in most countries, after ruthless military dictatorship, adjustment had been painful, violent and destructive. Yugoslavia, Soviet Union and Argentina easily come to mind.

But on occasions when Nigerians have disagreed over basic issues, we have always known that our institutions are fragile, and the good Lord had made us to withstand any undue pressure on them. We must not underestimate our achievement in this regard.

And, it has been my personal experience, and the experience of our Administration, that every crisis, every trial and every challenge that we have faced in this country has invariably strengthened, rather than weakened us. The perennial skeptics have always been surprised by the resilience with which the good people of our country have endured every difficulty we have faced. And the reason for this is both simple and profound, especially in the recent times.

Democracy as a way of life in Nigeria is not the exclusive property of the leadership class. Rather, it is the property of the people. They chose it. They have died for it in the past, and they will die for it in the future if the need arises. For the present, they will defend it, not as an option, not as "mere intellectual nation, but as their right as well as their responsibility. We the leaders of this country would be making a very grave mistake indeed, if we supposed that democracy, the government of the affairs of free citizens in accordance with the Constitution, the law, and the will of the people, is an item of patronage to be dispensed, especially among ourselves, by us. The only favour that leaders have, that they can give to their people is honest, sincere, selfless, diligent, and patriotic service. And this we, all of us, the leaders at this moment in history, must not fail to give.

The doctrine of the separation of powers, in a republican democratic system such as we have adopted for ourselves in Nigeria, holds both promise and enormous challenge. On the one hand, it requires the active co-operation of all the branches of government to achieve progress in development, and in the protection of our rights. On the on the hand, only one branch, working along, can quite easily pull the entire complex structure down.

But the framers of our Constitution knew all about the temptations of power, and the terrible uses to which power, unchecked, can be put by ambitious men and women. That is why they imposed a complex series of checks and balances on the leaders, and especially on leaders in the Legislative and Executive branches of government.

The two branches are expected to work independently, but in harmony, like the parts of a complex machine, each part indispensable, each part doing its own assigned duty, and in good faith, so that the entire machine might be able to do work in unison and symbiosis towards I single goal, which is to get the machine, our country, to move deliberately along the path of progress.

We must be oriented to developmental democracy at three levels. The first is the material or the infrastructural level of the economy which, made up of the system of production, distribution, consumption and exchange. Here we have chosen private-sector led market economy. It must develop capacity and capability for production. Relying alone on our God-given natural resources, without our productive capacity to extract, add value, and change them into the desired form, will lead us nowhere.

The second is the institutional level which is the system of institutions, organizations, the procedural mechanisms for ensuring that democracy functions and functions well. These include the political party system, the three arms of government and the three tiers of government, as well as the media, the civil society and the civil service.

The third is the super structural level which is the level of social relations, culture, values, such as loyalty and mutual trust, beliefs, attitudinal orientation: the way people perceive such notions as prosperity, wealth creation, and material acquisition. In short, the totality of interpersonal relationships within our society.

Taking everything together, the challenge we have is one of how the State might be constructed to support democracy. In this regard, Nigeria must be re-built around a civil society in which all citizens enjoy their fundamental rights, whilst being conscious of such civic and moral responsibilities as orderliness, love hard work, productivity, fearing God, orientation to positive change and commitment to technology innovation. And we would then have a society where the three tiers of Government work separately, but together, to ensure security for the people, empower them, and enhance participatory democracy through self-organised democratic communities.

Fellow Nigerians, it is indeed regrettable that in, the past few weeks, undue friction has characterized the relationship between the Executive and the legislature, particularly the House of Representatives. The world has empathised with us as we went through this experience which a large number of Nigerians would want us to put behind us.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those elder statesmen of our land and members of the PDP National Executive Committee who have been seized of these problems and who have sought an amicable solution to them. On my part, I now realize that the issue has been that of communication, relationship and bridge-building. And I am determined to seek a lasting solution to the situation. After all, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the buck stops at my desk.

I am convinced that much of the acrimony and antagonisms of recent weeks are the result of a sluggish and inadequate communication system. This is a weakness which has frequently led to the temptation to attribute the lowest and basest possible motives to leaders in all branches of government, and at all levels of the Party.

Let us debate, let us dialogue, let us even agree to disagree, but let the task of running the affairs of Nigeria continue unhindered, and let us have all hands on deck for the re-building of Nigeria. We must avoid the political paralysis of our nation.

As part of my own 'continuous search for ways of delivering better service to the people of this country, I have decided that I will work with a greater sense of urgency to improve the structures of both formal and informal communications, between the Executive and the Secretariat of our great Party.

Accordingly, the structure of communications between the Executive and the National Assembly, will now be decentralized. Presidential liaison Officers will now be assigned on a zonal basis, in both the Senate the House of Representatives. It will now be their mandate to liaise not only with the leaders of the National Assembly, but also with Senators and Honorable Members directly, personally and individually. It is hoped that this will bring about a revitalized system of communications between the Executive, the legislature and the Secretarial of the Party, to whose manifesto our leadership owes allegiance.

But having said this, I believe we must now all move forward resolutely and together, leaving the vexations and frustrations of the past behind us. For while it is true that we cannot safely and completely turn or backs on the past, we must at the same time never permit ourselves to be enslaved by it that we overlook our primary duty, which is always to confront the challenges of the present and of the future, using the lessons we have learned from the past.

And the future that I speak of belongs, not to us, perhaps not even to our own children, but to our children's children, and to the generations that will come after them. It is because of them that we must seek to husband the present with diligence and determination. It is because of them that we must continue to see ourselves more as the agents of change, than as the primary beneficiaries of it.

It is in this context that I have convened a Children's Summit her in Abuja, to which hundreds of children from all parts of the country were invited. For it is to me a matter of common sense, that if, as I do, we claim to be working for the well being of our children, when we must not only find a way of letting them know what we are doing, ostensibly on their behalf, but we must also find a way of giving them the opportunity to let us know what kind of future they look forward to for themselves, and what they themselves want us to do for them.

Furthermore, approval has been given for a multi-media programme, aimed especially at our children, which will use accessible and modern techniques of education and entertainment to transmit the core values of our history and cultures. For I am of the strong conviction that whatever progress we make in our drive to catch up with the rest of the world, that progress would ultimately be hollow, and without much enduring value, unless we can ensure that our children fully understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it.

Our society believes that the individual exists in the context of the family, the extended family, the community and the wider society. Government should not take over the roles of the family and the community, but should reinforce and strengthen them. It is the extended family with the community that strengthens the society, maintaining values and order, and a culture of hardwork, industry, honesty, integrity, loyalty, thrift, obedience and respect for authorities and elders, and regard for excellence, learning and knowledge. Man is God's highest creation, and the purpose of governance is to serve and help man in reaching his full bloom and potential. Man has obligations and duties to his fellow human beings, and to the rest of God's creation.

Fellow Nigerians, I believe that many of you will share my observation that beneath all the political crises, beneath all the threats and challenges and upheavals that we face, there is a deeper, more profound and potentially more destructive debate going on in Nigeria today. That debate is about wealth: who creates it, who benefits from it, and by how much?

Unfortunately, the true force which propels our endless political disputes, our constant struggles for political advantage, is often not our burning concern for democracy. It is often not our dedication to the principle of the rule of law. It is often not about fairness and equity and justice. We fight, and sometimes shed blood, to achieve and retain political power, because for us in Nigeria, the political kingdom has for too long been the gateway to the economic kingdom. Should this remain the case? I would say emphatically NO!

However, we all know too well that our perverted sense of prosperity derives from the fact that the distribution of the nation's economic wealth is often based, not on a rational or constructive link between efforts and the yielded benefits, but on the whims of those who control the reins of power.

The fiercest critics of our Administration are not those who are unhappy about the slow pace of development in the various sectors of the economy. They are not those who feel that the delivery of public goods, in education, health, housing, transportation, employment generation and other social necessities is below expectation. The real opponents of our Government are those who previously enjoyed, or who are currently enjoying, enormous and inordinate economic and political power, and who now sense the closing down of the avenues from which they have hitherto amassed, or are presently amassing ill-gotten wealth.

This scenario is deleterious to our proverbial national cake, which symbolizes the scope of our national wealth. For one, the unproductive manner of sharing this national cake means that it is a dwindling asset. Consequently we must begin to give due consideration to the rate at which we replenish our national assets. We must change our ways to ensure we add value to our wealth consumption patterns.

Secondly, access to our national wealth through the abuse of privilege and authority, is flagrantly inequitable. As of now, the majority of Nigerians do not have direct access to this national cake. Frighteningly, of the minority that do have access, twenty percent of them are in control of about fifty-six per cent of this wealth, whilst eighty percent are compelled to share the inadequate remainder of forty-four percent. This imbalance combines injustice, inequity and emasculation of our economic prospects and social development.

For the beginning of the tenure of our Administration, we made it clear that we would not engage in business as usual. We said we intended to divest the federal government of as many of its parastatals and companies as possible. We said we would sell them off to private investors, because they are wasteful of our resources, and because private investors are, in any event, better placed to run them efficiently. We promised to put an end to corruption in the system of contract awards, to do away with excessive patronage, to install well-known standards of transparency and accountability in all transactions of government. This we have done, are doing, and will continue to do.

We recognize resistance from two categories of people. The first continue to operate selfishly as a result of entrenched habits. The second category consist of those who insist on benefiting from the continuous perversion of the system. But I believe that the major economic responsibility of our Administration is not to preside over the sharing of the meager wealth of the country, but to work tirelessly to increase our ability to produce and export more, so that there would be more to share equitably and invest in our social development.

After 42 years of independence, Nigeria still has the distinction of being one of the few countries in the world today that depends almost exclusively on one single export commodity - oil. Until recently, there was a serious decline in production in virtually all other sectors. But in the last three years we have focused on the expansion of our economic base. I am pleased to report that the yielded results include an increase in our proven reserves from about 25 to almost 32 billion barrels of oil.

We have also increased the oil production capacity from about 2.4 million to about 3 million barrels per day.

Government's encouragement of foreign capital inflow, together with commitment to full funding of its own obligations, has led to a steady rise in the number of high profile projects going on simultaneously, such that production capacity is expected to build up to 4 million barrels per day by 2005. The on-going field development, apart from attracting a flurry of activities in terms of construction works and provision of ancillary service, will also result in improvement of Government earnings by over 50 per cent.

In the Gas sector, the shift in policy from penalty to promoting large volume export projects, is expected to generate significant revenues for the country from commercialization of associated gas.

With the past "Start-Stop" approach to liquefied Natural Gas LNG) development in Nigeria, it took 30 years, by 195, to reach final investment decision for the first two trains of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas. However, since 1999, the liquefied natural gas has made outstanding progress. Among others, Train Three is slated for completion by November 2002, while Trains Four and Five are now expected to be commissioned by the third quarter of 2005. On completion of Trains Four and Five, LNG production is expected to increase the pre.1999 programme of 5.8 Million Tons Per Annum, by almost threefold.

Also there are other new LNG as well as Gas-to-Liquid programmes that are currently on going. Consequently, by 2008, exportable LNG would have increased to over 25 million metric tons, amounting to revenue of more than 50 per cent of current earnings from crude.

We anticipate that by this period, Nigeria will not only be a major player in the oil and gas sector, the fiscal implication of this development will be tantamount to doubling the nation's earnings from the oil and gas industry.

Agriculture can feed the nation, as well as drastically reduce our dependence on importation of food. It can serve as a major source of export revenue and raw material for manufacturing. And it creates jobs. For example, a single 10,000 hectare of oil palm plantation, when fully operational, is capable of employing more Nigerians than the entire civil service of an average State in Nigeria.

We have intensified our efforts in the Solid Minerals sector, and the most recent estimates indicate that in eight years from now, income from the export of solid minerals will compare favorably with the income we are currently receiving from crude oil. Action has actually commenced in respect of bitumen production, with the allocation of blocks for exploitation.

Growth in the production capacity of the manufacturing sector has been moving apace, partly because of improvements in the power delivery systems, and partly also because of the current efforts to stabilize the exchange rate of the Naira. In such industries as food and beverages, production has risen as high as 95 per cent utilization of installed capacity, and we are confident that other sectors will follow soon. Success has been largely attributable to enhanced purchasing power of Nigerians, regular supply of fuel, effective communication, especially GSM, and increased stability in power supply.

The power supply programme is expected to lead to generation, transmission and distribution of 10,000 megawatts by the end of 2005, definitely a far cry from the meager 1500 megawatts which we met in 1999! We have a programme by which we expect to become self sufficient in the production of cement within four years, as well as in rice production within three years. In the same vein, successes are being pursued in other areas, including agricultural production and water supply, education, healthcare delivery, transportation, security, housing, rural electrification and rural telephony. Our concern for security goes beyond physical security for the individual, for us it entails the totality of human security, including food security, shelter, and the provisions for leading a decent and fulfilled a life.

The annual inflation rate, which for some time hovered around 18 per cent has now eased to around 11 per cent. The gap between the official and parallel market rate of exchange has virtually disappeared, and we are hopeful that we will achieve a single exchange rate regime for the Naira soon, while the rate of interest will come down to such a level that will encourage investment in the productive sector.

Our general aim has been to increase our ability to produce and export more, both in the area of crude oil and in such other areas a agriculture and manufacturing. For if we do not produce more, if we do not export more, the proverbial national cake that we all continue to haggle over will progressively diminish both in size and value, if only for the simple reason that our population is growing every day, and there are increasing demands to cater for the needs of all citizens. The absolute pre-condition for economic prosperity in our country must be peace and political stability. And we can only enthrone political stability by vigorously pursuing the twin objectives of social justice and equal opportunity for all. To this end, I have recently submitted to the National Assembly a Bill that would put the stamp of law on the 13 per cent derivation principle, which must be the beginning Administration will not relent nor leave any stone unturned in the war against the evil of corruption in our society.

Fellow Nigerians, the truth of the matter is that in the three and a half years since our government came into office, all of us have had to face a number of fundamental changes, in the expectations we have of public service; in our attitude of public funds and public property; in our perception of transparency and accountability in governance. These changes were bound to cause some anxiety among various sections of our national community. We had no doubt that these changes were bound to ruffle many feathers in many parts of the country. Nevertheless, I have always held that these changes are imperative for the necessary sacrifice we all must make, for our vision of a new Nigeria that is just, stable, equitable, and prosperous.

I am an uncompromising believer in the vision of a greater Nigeria. I will exert myself to the utmost to help realize it. I will be steadfast in my resolve. And I will at all times strive to share this faith with my fellow Nigerians, with as much humility, conviction and compassion as God will grant me the courage to have and expend.

Fellow Nigerian men and women, let me commend all Nigerians who have come forward en masse to register for the forthcoming elections. The beginning may not have been exactly perfect, but with the massive turnout, Nigerian voters have indicated their abiding faith in democracy that is sufficient to be regarded as a good launch of the electoral process. I am confident that INEC will continue to learn and improve as they move on to tackle their monumental task of ensuring that every Nigerian gets the chance to exercise his or her democratic right to vote.

I would however like to remind all politicians throughout this country of the amount of apprehension that has been expressed, within and without, about the possible risks which the forthcoming elections could pose to our nascent democracy. The world regards elections as a game of politicians, because politicians are seen as having the highest stake in losing or winning. Thus, the successful outcome of the elections depends entirely on how politicians choose to play the game. On the other hand, we should pray and work hard to ensure that the electoral process moves to climax without tragedy. Democracy in Nigeria is the ultimate winner in successful elections. On this solemn occasion of the last National Day before the next elections, let us all resolve to play the game so as to give victory to our democracy in general. And if democracy is peaceably sustained, all participants in the process are the winners in particular.

The journey we all began together when Nigerians elected me into the office almost three and a half years ago, would have been impossible to contemplate but for this abiding of our renewed efforts to correct the unfairness to the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It is my fervent hope that the National Assembly will quickly pass this Bill into law.

Foreign investors have expressed apprehension about the Sharia judgement of stoning of women or men found guilty of adultery. Our assurance to those who care to listen is that we have a legal and judicial system which grants any accused person the full opportunity of appeal to the highest court in the land. For this reason, we have never entertained doubts that what whatever verdict a lower court may give, the appellate courts will ensure that justice is done. We fully understand the concerns of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, but we cannot imagine or envision a Nigerian being stoned to death. It has never happened. And may it never happen.

But equity and social justice are not exclusively matters for legislation. Ultimately, it is my belief that the one way in which we can all quickly achieve the country of our dreams is by each and all of us internalizing these edifying ideas and values, and transforming them into active elements in our public and private conduct.

For me. The Nigerian Project which I have committed myself to, has only one item on its agenda. And that agenda is one which embraces all Nigerians in all walks of life, irrespective of their cultural background, ethnic origin, religious beliefs or political persuasions. The Nigerian Agenda that I have in mind does not distinguish between or admit of a separate Northern or Southern Agenda.

Our Nigerian Agenda is indivisible. It seeks to repair the damage that divisiveness and selfish ambition have done to us, and are doing to us. It seeks to restore the sense of fulfillment of each citizen, no matter his place of birth or social status. It seeks to revive our traditional moral and ethical values, like honesty, integrity, fairness, truth and respect for the dignity of hard work, respect for the humanity of the stranger in our midst, and respect for the right of every citizen to hold views on any issue without fear of victimization.

Whatever is known to be bad deserves only to be seen as bad. Whatever is bad for our nation cannot be good for anyone, the individual, the family the community or the State. And corrupt9on is simply bad for the nation! To condone corruption is not only unpatriotic, but also irreligious for Christians and Moslems alike. No excuse is good enough for condoning the evil of corruption, be it on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sectional interest, or on the offering of inducement in order to wield undue influence and pervert the truth. Corruption is an immoral and an unpardonable act against society and punishable by God. The wholesomeness of our society is the responsibility of all of us. This faith that I have, that our country does indeed have the potential of becoming a great nation. It is this faith, this hope that I see in my travels across this vast country of our, and as I meet Nigerians at home and abroad.

Fellow Nigerians, let me state that I desire nothing more than God has already done for me, and for which I will continually thank Him. God has showered His blessing and bounty on me, taking me from a humble, obscure beginning, through thick and thin to the mountain top, and through the shadow of death at the bottom of the valley, to where He has - by His Grace - placed me today.

Many are the people, Nigerians and non-Nigerians, dead and alive, that God has used - and is still using - in the course of my life journey. I thank them, as I thank God who has given me the job to do, with the deliverance from the bondage of fear, and the wherewithal to do it. If it is the will of God and the wish of Nigerians that we should continue from where we have reached so far, we will so continue, for the edification of our fatherland and for the honour and glory of God.

My gut feelings and my faith tell me that until God shuts a door, no human can shut it. And when He opens a door, it remains open until He chooses to close it. God controls, intervenes and overrules in the affairs of nations and in the affairs of individuals. May God's will continue to be done in the life of our nation and in the life of each and everyone of us. For the rest of my life, wherever I may be and in whatever condition, I will always seek to serve God, my country and humanity. In the specific instance of serving Nigeria, my dealings with Nigerians as their elected leader will always be predicated on the best of my ability, honesty and truthfulness, so as to be deserving of the trust and confidence reposed in me.

Fellow Nigerians, permit me to quote from my book 'I See Hope' which will be launched today:

I see hope in the determination, resilience and the indomitable spirit of Nigerians.
I see hope in their resistance when they are pushed to the wall.
I see hope, in their zeal, commitment and courage in the face of adversity.
I see hope in the boundless and incurable optimism of our youth.
I see hope, in the willingness of those Nigerians young and old) who resisted with all their strength the evil which many past regimes represented.
I see hope in the unweavering conduct and uncompromising drive of Nigerians in demanding a democratic culture in Nigeria.
I see hope in the ingenuity and infinite creativity of the Nigerian. I see hope in the youth and the young for our tomorrow belong to them.
I see hope in the great potentials that Nigerians have, when they are empowered, motivated and well led.
I see hope in the blending of the experience of the old with the energy and dynamism of the young.
I see hope in the vibrant spirit and richness of our cultures. And I see hope in the commonality of our humanity.

That is why I believe. That is the basis of my hope for this country. For if we lose hope, then we stand a grave chance indeed of losing everything. We must therefore keep hope alive, and continue to bear with one another, as we move. All of us, to the great future that beckons us. There lies our hope for Nigeria. We are at the beginning of a new morning for our nation. The future looks very bright indeed. Clearly I see hope.

I have faith! Please have faith. Have hope. And show love.

May God bless you all. And may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

October 2, 2002