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| 'Nigeria yet to realise promise of independence'
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Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) -
As Nigeria Thursday marks the 49th anniversary of its in
dependence from Britain, President Umaru Yar'Adua said the country had yet to fu
l
ly realise the ''promise of independence''.
In a broadcast to the nation to mark the anniversary, the President said, howeve
r, that the setback should not diminish ''the value of freedom and the eternal s
i
gnificance of the sacrifice of those who suffered to make us free.
''Rather than become another day of self flagellation, today should be a forcefu
l reminder of the promise yet to be fulfilled, of the dream deferred for too lon
g
, and
of the work that is still outstanding,'' he said.
Yar'Adua said the necessary work of repositioning Nigeria had commenced apace, a
nd that the overarching task should be how to remain focused on the twin challen
g
es
of enthroning democracy and achieving sustainable development.
''Fellow Nigerians, on this day and in the spirit of re-dedication, we renew our
commitment to confronting the challenges of critical infrastructure, the Niger
D
elta, food security,
security of lives and property, human capital development, land tenure and wealt
h creation,'' the President said.
The challenges listed by the President constitute his seven-point agenda, his ad
ministration's blueprint for tackling the problems that have held Nigeria back o
v
er the years.
One of the infrastructure challenge, perhaps the most critical is the lack of po
wer, with most homes and businesses going for weeks without electricity and indu
s
tries being
forced to relocate from Nigeria to cut their huge power generations costs.
The President has promised that his administration will generate 6,000 megawatts
of electricity by December 2009 as part of efforts to alleviate the problem.
''We remain confident that with the massive investments we have made in the last
two years in the expansion and strengthening of our generation, transmission an
d
distribution capacities
and capabilities, we shall succeed in our commitment to provide stable electrici
ty on a sustainable basis and the attainment of our goal of generating 6000 mega
watts by
December 2009,'' he reiterated the promise in his anniversary speech.
He also touched on the issue of education, especially within the context of the
three-month strike that has shut down public universities across the country.
While noting that his administration places the highest possible premium on educ
ation and human capital development, the President said: ''I would, at this poin
t
, like to register the
Federal Governmentâ?s grave concern over the continuing strike action embarked
upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)'', assuring that concert
e
d efforts
were being made to end the strike.
On the violence in the country's oil region, President Yar'Adua said the general
amnesty and granted unconditional pardon granted to oil militants were aimed at
consolidating peace in
the region, adding: ''Some remarkable progress has been made and it is our hope
that all militants would avail themselves of this amnesty which expires on Sunda
y
, 4 October 2009''.
On the economy, the President said that as the world begins to recover from the
global recession, ''we are increasingly encouraged by the emerging signs of reco
v
ery in our national
economy. Our real GDP growth is projected at 5% in 2009 and non-oil GDP growth i
s expected to remain robust at 6.3%. Furthermore, the recovery of crude oil pric
e
s and improved
oil and gas output are expected to enhance our national fiscal and foreign excha
nge balances.''
Rounding off the speech, he urged his compatriots to maintain their faith in the
country, in spite of the huge challenges facing the country.
''My fellow country men and women, our nation is today faced with a number of da
unting challenges. However, in the face of all these challenges, our resolve and
abiding faith must
remain unshaken. We must see todayâ?s challenges as veritable opportunities wai
ting to be translated into stepping stones to an assured destiny of peace, progr
e
ss, and prosperity for our
common posterity,'' President Yar'Adua said.
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| Abuja - 01/10/2009 |
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