Petitions/Press Releases

NATIONAL BROADCAST BY H.E MUHAMMADU BUHARI PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE 58TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, 1ST OCTOBER, 2018

Fellow Nigerians,

Today is a day of celebration and solemn reflection. It is the anniversary of the day Nigerians realised one of the most cherished of human desires – the desire for freedom. We, therefore, give thanks to and remember our founding fathers who laboured so hard and sacrificed so much to build and bequeath to us this wonderful nation. It is our duty to consolidate this great legacy.
2. On this first October date and on the eve of the start of the general election cycle, we should do well to reflect on what binds us together and the great strength our diversity bestows on us. Ours is an ambitious nation, and, as citizens we have every right to look forward to the future with confidence and optimism which are well founded, considering where we find ourselves today.
3. There has been a steady improvement in the security situation in the North East. We remain committed to ending the crisis and make the North East safe for all.
4. Our thoughts and prayers are always with the victims of the Boko Haram’s atrocities and their families. Beyond that, we know that the goals of the Boko Haram terrorists include capturing territories, destroying our democracy and denying our children the right to education. We will not allow them to succeed.
5. I want at this point to pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces, the Police and other security and law enforcement agencies, who have been working under the most difficult conditions to keep the country safe. In the process, many have made the supreme sacrifice.
6. As their Commander -In- Chief, I assure these our gallant men and women that I will continue to empower them by deepening their professionalism and providing all the necessary force multipliers and enablers required for them to prevail on the field. I am looking into all reported cases of inadequacies in relation to their entitlements, their welfare and those of their families.
7. We are diversifying away from reliance on oil to increased manufacturing capacity, solid minerals development, and agriculture.
8. Efforts are on course in the Niger Delta to clean up polluted lands, restore hopes of the youths in the region and re-establish livelihoods, and strengthen their capacity to guarantee for themselves and for our country a brighter future.
9. The age-long conflict between herders and farmers that was being exploited by those seeking to plant the seeds of discord and disunity amongst our people, is being addressed decisively. We will sustain and continue to support the commendable efforts by all including civil society organisations, local and states governments and our traditional and religious leaders in finding durable solution to this problem.
10. This being a transhumance issue, we are working with countries in our region that are also facing similar difficulties to complement our common efforts. In this context I must warn that the perpetrators of murder and general mayhem in the name of defending or protecting herders or farmers will face the full wrath of the law. Meanwhile, we urge all peace loving Nigerians to reject any simplistic portrayal, at home or abroad, of this conflict as either religious or ethnic based.
11. We are one of the countries in the world most affected by environmental degradation, as a consequence of climate change. We are signatories to almost all conventions and agreements aimed at slowing down the effect of climate change and mitigating its now evident consequences.
12. The consequences on lives and livelihoods of the shrinking of the Lake Chad and the pollution caused by oil exploitation activities alone make it mandatory on us to be at the forefront of the struggle for a safer and more sustainable environment. We will continue to mobilise international support for our efforts in this regard.
13. We are making progress in the fight against corruption and recovery of stolen public funds and assets despite vicious and stiff resistance. The shameful past practice, of the brazen theft of billions of Naira is no more. Shady oil deals and public contracts that were never delivered have become things of the past.
14. Consequently, and this is very evident across the country, we have done more with less in infrastructural developments. Roads, railways, major bridges, schools, energy and power, air and sea ports, welfare of serving and retired personnel both civilian and military including payment of legacy debt such as pension arrears, have been attended to.
15. There is now an enabling environment for local and foreign investment in Nigeria. We are building a rules-based system – a level playing field that is free from fixers and intermediaries. This is the cornerstone to help genuine investors and honest consumers, and the platform that will allow for the real reforms that we intend to deliver over the coming years.
16. We are gradually strengthening the economy with a stable Naira and falling inflation rate. We are building an economy that is moving away from over reliance on oil. Consequently we have witnessed massive return to farms and seen bumper harvest, despite recurrent floods across the country.

17. These positive developments are the result of our collective pursuit of a common vision through hard work and dedication, after the missed opportunities and disappointments that followed the return to democracy in 1999.
18. At the forefront, have always been our youths. They have been at the vanguard of the struggle for independence. They fought in the war to keep the country united. And it was they who kept alive the struggle for democracy and human rights in our country at times when these were at risk, especially following the June 12th 1993 election and the historic 2015 election process.
19. Even today, our youths play a central role in Nigeria’s continuing progress and developments in all fields of our national endeavour –technology, agriculture, mining, engineering and especially the creative arts. Together we are building a more diverse, inclusive and self-reliant economy.
20. In the past three years we have introduced many policies and programmes targeted at youth development and youth empowerment. We support the ‘not too young to run’ legislation aimed at giving the youths greater say in our national politics and governance.
21. The school feeding program in primary schools is aimed at encouraging enrolment and attendance. We are building on what we have already introduced to support schools and universities to which funds have recently been released for upgrade of facilities, training programs for our entrepreneurs, and rehabilitation schemes for victims of terrorism and human trafficking.
Fellow Nigerians,
22. Now we have in our hands technology that is a powerful tool that we can and should use for knowledge and understanding. As with other countries, we must also learn how to manage those tendencies that, instead, look to abuse new technologies to provoke passions and stir tensions.
23. Never before have we faced such a challenge. We must all rise to the responsibility of shutting out those disruptive and corrosive forces that hide in today’s world of social media. We need critical minds and independent thinking, to question and question until we are satisfied we have the facts. Otherwise, all the progress we have made as a democracy since 1999 is at stake.
24. I have committed myself many times to ensure that elections are fully participatory, free and fair and that the Independent National Electoral Commission will be exactly INDEPENDENT and properly staffed and resourced. The ballot box is how we make our choice for the governments that rule in our name.

Fellow Nigerians,
25. Developing a thriving democracy is not an easy task. There can be no quick fixes or short cuts. These are the most important lessons that we have learnt in our 58 years as an independent nation.
26. At the international level, we remain a responsible and respected member of the international community, playing active positive roles within ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations as well as all other regional and international organisations and institutions of which we are members.
27. We will continue to support initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges of our times: global and regional crises and conflicts, terrorism, trans-border crime, climate change, human rights, gender equality, development, poverty and inequality within and between nations, etc. In this context, we are working hard to achieve both the AU 2063 Agenda for socio-economic transformation of our continent; and the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, which together aim at addressing these challenges

Fellow Nigerians,
28. As we celebrate the 58th Anniversary of our independence, we know we are on the right path. Although we have our differences, they count for far less than the values, virtues and common aspirations that unite us as a nation. We have so much for which we should be grateful, and in which we should rightly take pride. Our journey is not finished but we have come a long way.
29. I want to assure you that as President, I will continue to work tirelessly to promote, protect and preserve what really matters: a united, peaceful, prosperous and secure Nigeria, where all, irrespective of background, can aspire to succeed.

Thank you. I wish you a memorable independence celebration.

Comments (1230)

  1. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank
    you, However I am experiencing difficulties with your
    RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to join it.
    Is there anybody getting similar RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond?
    Thanks!!

  2. Amazing! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
    It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!

  3. wonderful put up, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite
    specialists of this sector do not realize this.
    You must continue your writing. I am confident, you’ve a great readers’ base already!

  4. Hola! I’ve been following your site for some time now and finally got
    the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Tx!
    Just wanted to mention keep up the fantastic job!

  5. What i don’t realize is in fact how you’re now not actually
    much more well-appreciated than you might be right now.
    You are very intelligent. You understand thus significantly in relation to this matter,
    produced me in my opinion believe it from a lot of varied angles.
    Its like men and women are not fascinated unless it is one thing to
    do with Woman gaga! Your personal stuffs excellent.
    All the time deal with it up!

  6. I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this
    website. I’m hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts
    from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing
    abilities has encouraged me to get my own, personal blog now 😉

  7. magnificent submit, very informative. I ponder why the opposite experts of this sector do
    not notice this. You must continue your writing. I am sure, you
    have a huge readers’ base already!

  8. I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic.

    I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
    Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this information for my mission.

  9. Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.

    After all I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!

  10. This post provides clear idea in support of the new users of blogging,
    that really how to do blogging and site-building.

  11. Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but
    I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site?
    I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking
    at alternatives for another platform. I would be awesome if
    you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  12. I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout of your
    website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
    But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could
    connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures.
    Maybe you could space it out better?

  13. Right away I am going to do my breakfast, when having my breakfast coming again to read additional news.

  14. Howdy! This post couldn’t be written much better! Looking
    through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this.
    I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a very good read.
    Many thanks for sharing!

  15. Very good post! We will be linking to this great post on our website.
    Keep up the great writing.

  16. Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
    It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much
    the same page layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!

  17. Greetings, I do believe your web site could be having web browser compatibility problems.
    Whenever I look at your site in Safari, it looks
    fine however, when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues.

    I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful site!

  18. After looking into a few of the blog posts on your website,
    I truly appreciate your technique of writing a blog.
    I book-marked it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking
    back in the near future. Please check out my website too and let me know what you think.

  19. Truly no matter if someone doesn’t understand afterward its up to other viewers that they will help, so here it happens.

  20. Good day! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
    He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article
    to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  21. Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long)
    so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.
    I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
    Do you have any recommendations for first-time blog writers?
    I’d certainly appreciate it.

  22. I have read so many posts about the blogger lovers except this article is actually a fastidious piece of writing, keep it up.

  23. Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
    There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content.
    Please let me know. Many thanks

  24. Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download
    it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out.
    Please let me know where you got your design. Cheers

  25. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
    You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence
    on just posting videos to your blog when you could
    be giving us something informative to read?

  26. Neat blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
    A theme like yours with a few simple adjustements would really
    make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your design. Thanks a lot

  27. Just desire to say your article is as amazing.
    The clearness on your publish is just excellent and i can assume you’re
    a professional in this subject. Well along with your permission let me to seize your
    feed to stay updated with impending post.
    Thank you a million and please keep up the rewarding work.

  28. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to
    my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was
    hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know if you run into anything.
    I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  29. Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what
    a information! existing here at this blog, thanks admin of this web
    page.

  30. Remarkable things here. I’m very glad to look your article.

    Thanks a lot and I’m having a look ahead to touch you.
    Will you kindly drop me a mail?

  31. It’s going to be end of mine day, however before ending I am reading this great post to
    improve my experience.

  32. When I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time
    a comment is added I get four emails with the exact same comment.
    There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me from that service?
    Thanks!

  33. excellent points altogether, you just received a emblem new reader.
    What may you recommend about your submit that you simply made a few
    days in the past? Any positive?

  34. Heya are using WordPress for your site platform?
    I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my
    own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

  35. Hola! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Lubbock Tx!

    Just wanted to mention keep up the good job!

  36. First off I would like to say superb blog! I had a quick question that
    I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to find out how
    you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing.

    I have had a difficult time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out.
    I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the
    first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying to figure
    out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Many thanks!

  37. Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I
    was wanting to know your situation; we have created some nice practices and we are looking to trade methods
    with others, why not shoot me an email if interested.

  38. Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed!

    Very useful information specially the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot.
    I was looking for this certain info for a very long time.
    Thank you and best of luck.

  39. If some one needs to be updated with most recent technologies therefore
    he must be pay a visit this site and be up to
    date daily.

  40. Hi there to all, as I am really eager of reading this webpage’s post to be updated regularly.
    It consists of good data.

  41. obviously like your web-site however you have to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts.
    Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to inform the truth on the other hand I’ll certainly come again again.

  42. I like the valuable info you provide in your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly.
    I am quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

  43. What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I liked this post.
    It was helpful. Keep on posting!

  44. Hi there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any
    trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no back up.

    Do you have any solutions to protect against hackers?

  45. wonderful points altogether, you just won a emblem new reader.
    What could you recommend about your put up that you made a few days ago?

    Any positive?

  46. There is definately a lot to know about this subject.

    I like all the points you have made.

  47. Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your site, how
    could i subscribe for a blog site? The account aided me a acceptable deal.

    I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright clear idea

  48. It’s the best time to make some plans for the future and it is time
    to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting
    things or suggestions. Maybe you can write next articles
    referring to this article. I desire to read even more things about it!

  49. Good answers in return of this query with real arguments and describing everything about that.

  50. Wow, this article is good, my sister is analyzing such things, thus I
    am going to tell her.

Comments are closed.