Address by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
On the
Occasion of the Centenary Conference on the Theme:
"Human Security, Peace and Development: Agenda for the 21st Century"
Thursday, 27th February, 2014
PROTOCOLS
1. Today, as our Nation marks its first 100 years, we look
back with gratitude to God and with pride in our citizens. We look
forward also, to the future, with hope and confidence.
2. In this hall and beyond, I am delighted to welcome many
of our past, current and future leaders, as well as our friends and
partners, from near and far, persons and nations that have stood with
us in times past, and whose friendship we will continue to cherish in
the years to come.
3. It is my unique honour and privilege to welcome you all
to this Conference, a shared moment, to celebrate the 100 years of the
Nigerian nation; and for profound reflection on our challenges and
opportunities as a continent.
4. Your Excellencies, only one year ago, in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, Africa celebrated 50 years of the establishment of the
Organization of African Unity, now the African Union. On that
occasion, African leaders reflected on our history and on the state of
our union and we re-committed ourselves to building a new Africa,
which will usher in greater peace, security and prosperity for our
peoples.
5. But as I address you today, I have a heavy heart. Two
days ago, terrorists invaded a secondary school and murdered innocent
children in Yobe state, while they slept. The children, the hopes of
their parents and the future leaders of our dear nation, had their
hopes and dreams snuffed out, leaving behind grieving families,
schoolmates, communities and a sad nation.
6. Our prayers and thoughts are with their families at this
difficult moment of loss. This gruesome and mindless act of savagery
is not Nigerian. It is not African. Let me assure all Nigerians that
we will spare no resource in bringing those murderers to justice.
7. As a Nation, whose fate and destiny are inextricably
linked to that of the continent, Nigeria recognizes the opportunity of
the moment, and particularly, that this is the place and time to
reflect on this theme of our centenary conference,Human Security,
Peace and Development: An Agenda for the 21st Century.
8. There is no doubt that Africa is rising. Today, seven of
the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. Investment
in the continent by Africans in the Diaspora bears testimony to the
increased level of confidence in our continent.
9. The rising middle class and greater penetration of
Information and Communications Technologies, combined with a fast
expanding financial services sector, are all pointers to a better
future. But we must secure this bright future. To do so, we must
seriously address the issues of human security, peace and development.
10. Your Excellencies, as you well know, the issues of human
security and peace are indispensable in the life of every nation. For
far too long, in many parts of the world, especially in our continent,
governments had placed much emphasis on the security of the state, and
our very scarce resources were committed to military and regime
security, at the expense of human security.
11. We recognize human security as encompassing firm guarantees
for human rights and good governance, that translate into expanded
opportunities for economic security, food security, health and
education security, environmental security, and personal and community
security.
12. A firm commitment to human security holds the promise of an
end to persistent conflicts, insecurity, poverty, disease, terrorism
and other scourges that undermine the attainment of our dreams.
13. We must emphasize that human security and peace are
intertwined. Peace is not just the absence of violence or war. Peace
encompasses every aspect of social tranquillity and wellbeing. The
peace we strive for is a state marked by the absence of severe human
want and avoidable fear. In our lifetime, this peace is attainable, in
our nations and our continent.
14. However, Your Excellencies, we must strengthen existing
mechanisms for national and international conflict management, and
create new avenues for cooperation, within and between our peoples and
our Nations.
15. Your Excellencies and dear friends, I firmly share the view
that if we stay focused and work together, we can make this 21st
century, the African century. A century where all our children will
have enough to eat; a century where all our children will be in
school; a century where economic growth and prosperity touches all,
regardless of gender, economic, political status, ethnic or religious
affinity.
16. For this to be achieved, our development must be
people-centred, people-driven and anchored on human security.
17. Your Excellencies, the current state of human security,
peace and development in our dear continent presents a picture of hope
as well as challenges. For over a decade, Africa has consolidated on
its democracy, and many countries have exited military dictatorship.
There is now a heightened commitment to the tenets of good governance,
and the rule of law.
18. Nigeria has always sought security, peace and development.
We are steadily developing a strong and vibrant democracy. There is
enthusiastic participation across the Nation, with a purposeful
government and active opposition parties. This was clearly expressed
in the last national elections held in 2011, which received wide
national and international acclaim, and was adjudged the freest and
fairest ever in our nation's history.
19. But as our Nations grow, and as Africa grows, we must
address some fundamental challenges to our human security, peace and
development.
20. Terrorism, which is a global menace, has extended its
tentacles to Africa and Nigeria. In concert with our regional and
global partners, we will continue to respond strategically and
decisively to this scourge, and together with our people we shall end
the killings and bring terrorism to an end.
21. Your Excellencies, let us work together across boundaries,
not only to coordinate and strengthen our defences, but also to
address any socio-economic roots on which these extreme ideologies
thrive.
22. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
We all must work together, collectively, to rid our world of haters of
peace, who use terror to maim, kill, instil fear and deny people their
rights to peace and security.
23. The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria is one of such
condemnable acts of terror. We have continued to deploy human and
military intelligence, in close collaboration with our partners, to
bring an end to their nefarious activities.
24. Greater regional cooperation in intelligence gathering and
control of insurgents will ensure not only Nigeria's security, but
also the security of our neighbours.
25. A great threat to our collective human and national security
is the rising menace of the use of small arms and light weapons. Out
of the 500 million illegal small arms and light weapons in the world,
an estimated 100 million are in Africa, with 10% in West Africa,
mainly in the hands of non-state actors.
26. Africa has had enough of wars. And the cost of wars and
insurgencies are too high. It has been estimated that Africa loses 18
billion dollars per year from wars as well as insurgencies. Wars,
insurgencies and conflicts impact neighbouring countries even more,
due to displacement of refugees, illegal trafficking of arms and
disruption of economic activities.
27. When there are wars or conflicts, we all lose. When there is
peace, we all win. We must deepen our resolve to regulate the illicit
trade in small arms and light weapons, strengthen our enforcement of
the regional protocols, such as the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their
Ammunition and Related Materials; and the Nairobi Protocol for the
Prevention, Control, and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in
the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.
28. We must do more to reduce some of the drivers of growth in
illicit small arms, including human insecurity, inequalities,
marginalization, ineffective disarmament, social exclusion and the
culture of violence.
29. Africa faces a huge challenge with youth population bulge.
By 2050, it is projected that about 40% of the population of Africa
will be made up of young people below the age of 15 years, while about
60% of the population will be made up of young people below the age of
25 years.
30. A major concern is the high level of unemployment among the
youth, especially those that are educated and skilled. No priority for
human security is more important for African countries than a sharp
focus on creating jobs for this teeming youth population. Skills
acquisition, entrepreneurship development, encouraging the youth to go
into agriculture as a business, and providing them with access to
cheaper financing to fulfil their dreams, are all needed to harness
and unleash the power of our youth to secure our collective future.
31. To foster this, we need to further strengthen intra-Africa
trade to create jobs. Africa must add value to its primary products
and commodities to ensure that wealth is created on the continent.
This will create wider scope for prosperity for our populations.
32. We must address the issue of inequality. There is no doubt
that Africa is growing and our economies are among some of the fastest
growing in the world. But this growth is not creating enough impacts
in terms of improving the living standards of our people.
33. We need inclusive growth that can stimulate broader shared
prosperity among our citizens. Social policies that improve access to
food, water, housing and education are crucial for inclusive growth
and social participation.
34. We must address the challenges of climate change. While
Africa accounts for less than three percent of greenhouse emissions,
it bears the greater brunt of the negative impacts of climate change.
Increasing incidences of floods and droughts create vulnerabilities,
displace populations and threaten human security.
35. The Africa Risk Capacity, the Specialized Agency of the
African Union, has a major role to play in reducing the impacts of
climate change on farmers, pastoralists, food security and budgets of
governments as they address the challenges imposed by extreme weather
events and natural disasters.
36. Africa must address the issue of women empowerment to
improve human security. When there are wars and social conflicts,
women and children bear the brunt of it. So, when we have peace and
stability, women and children should be those who benefit the most.
37. That is why I am calling today for an Affirmative Finance
Action for Women. Under this action, banks should devote at least
thirty percent of their bank lending in Agriculture to women farmers
and women-owned agribusinesses. The evidence is clear that women
rarely default on loans. This purposeful focus on women must become
our priority for the post-2015 MDGs. Securing women's future will
secure Africa's future.
38. This brighter future can only occur, if we improve
governance and accountability systems. We must reduce the cost of
governance and increase more of the national resources on the
governed. In particular, we need to reduce the cost of elections and
electioneering and shift greater focus on ensuring that the dividends
of democracy are delivered to our peoples.
39. But democracy alone is not enough. We must remain vigilant
and look into our peculiar situation in Africa and identify critical
factors that belies the extremism and terrorism that threatens our
collective security. The enemies of the state today in Africa are
often faceless, driven by religious extremism, ethnic mistrust and
rivalries, and propagandas of hate. Their nefarious actions are not
limited to any single country and no one is immune.
40. Therefore, as leaders we also must change our approach and
work more closely together to confront and defeat terrorists and
purveyors of hate. Terrorists do not respect borders or boundaries.
41. While we respect our national boundaries, terrorists move in
and out of our borders. It is now time that we agreed as African
leaders that acts of terror against one nation is an act of terror
against all.
42. We must not allow our countries to become safe havens for
terrorists. We must cooperate maximally in better managing our
political boundaries. We should adopt protocols that allow countries
to pursue terrorists well into their safe havens in other nations.
While we cannot redefine our borders, we must re-define our collective
approach to ending trans-boundary terrorism and insurgencies.
43. Your Excellencies, the African Union Peer Review Mechanism
needs to pay greater attention to the issues of human security, peace
and development. To promote this, I wish to propose the development of
an African Human Security Index that helps us to measure the progress
we are making on these and other critical issues in Africa, as shaped
by African countries themselves.
44. What Africa needs more than anything else in this 21st
century therefore is collective action for positive transformation for
the good of Africa.
45. There is no doubt that this is the African century. That is
why I want to call on other African leaders to join me in seeking new
ways to achieve our goals together, new strategies and workable
solutions that advance our cause for peace and development.
46. Let us work towards an Africa, where economic growth leads
to jobs for all school leavers, regardless of their ethnicity, their
religion, or their gender.
47. Let us work towards an Africa where we all live free from
the fear of war and terrorism, and where young Africans see a future
for themselves in productive employment, enterprise and education, and
not in the false promises of extremist ideology.
48. We must work towards an Africa in which human security is a
priority for all governments, where genuine and lasting peace makes it
possible to achieve, and where economic development works for the
benefit of all. It is that Africa of peace, of equity and justice that
I crave and it is that Africa that seeks and secures democracy, the
democracy that guarantees human happiness.
49. Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the
past is behind us and the future beacons on us. As leaders, we must
build a future Africa that generations yet unborn will be happy we
bequeathed to them. This must be an Africa devoid of wars and
conflicts. An Africa where there are no borders. An Africa where there
is free movement of people, goods and services. An Africa that is full
of boundless opportunities. To this new Africa we must commit
ourselves.
50. Long live Africa, Long live Nigeria, God bless you all.
Address by
His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
On the
Occasion of the Centenary Conference on the Theme:
"Human Security, Peace and Development: Agenda for the 21st Century"
Thursday, 27th February, 2014
PROTOCOLS
1. Today, as our Nation marks its first 100 years, we look
back with gratitude to God and with pride in our citizens. We look
forward also, to the future, with hope and confidence.
2. In this hall and beyond, I am delighted to welcome many
of our past, current and future leaders, as well as our friends and
partners, from near and far, persons and nations that have stood with
us in times past, and whose friendship we will continue to cherish in
the years to come.
3. It is my unique honour and privilege to welcome you all
to this Conference, a shared moment, to celebrate the 100 years of the
Nigerian nation; and for profound reflection on our challenges and
opportunities as a continent.
4. Your Excellencies, only one year ago, in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, Africa celebrated 50 years of the establishment of the
Organization of African Unity, now the African Union. On that
occasion, African leaders reflected on our history and on the state of
our union and we re-committed ourselves to building a new Africa,
which will usher in greater peace, security and prosperity for our
peoples.
5. But as I address you today, I have a heavy heart. Two
days ago, terrorists invaded a secondary school and murdered innocent
children in Yobe state, while they slept. The children, the hopes of
their parents and the future leaders of our dear nation, had their
hopes and dreams snuffed out, leaving behind grieving families,
schoolmates, communities and a sad nation.
6. Our prayers and thoughts are with their families at this
difficult moment of loss. This gruesome and mindless act of savagery
is not Nigerian. It is not African. Let me assure all Nigerians that
we will spare no resource in bringing those murderers to justice.
7. As a Nation, whose fate and destiny are inextricably
linked to that of the continent, Nigeria recognizes the opportunity of
the moment, and particularly, that this is the place and time to
reflect on this theme of our centenary conference,Human Security,
Peace and Development: An Agenda for the 21st Century.
8. There is no doubt that Africa is rising. Today, seven of
the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. Investment
in the continent by Africans in the Diaspora bears testimony to the
increased level of confidence in our continent.
9. The rising middle class and greater penetration of
Information and Communications Technologies, combined with a fast
expanding financial services sector, are all pointers to a better
future. But we must secure this bright future. To do so, we must
seriously address the issues of human security, peace and development.
10. Your Excellencies, as you well know, the issues of human
security and peace are indispensable in the life of every nation. For
far too long, in many parts of the world, especially in our continent,
governments had placed much emphasis on the security of the state, and
our very scarce resources were committed to military and regime
security, at the expense of human security.
11. We recognize human security as encompassing firm guarantees
for human rights and good governance, that translate into expanded
opportunities for economic security, food security, health and
education security, environmental security, and personal and community
security.
12. A firm commitment to human security holds the promise of an
end to persistent conflicts, insecurity, poverty, disease, terrorism
and other scourges that undermine the attainment of our dreams.
13. We must emphasize that human security and peace are
intertwined. Peace is not just the absence of violence or war. Peace
encompasses every aspect of social tranquillity and wellbeing. The
peace we strive for is a state marked by the absence of severe human
want and avoidable fear. In our lifetime, this peace is attainable, in
our nations and our continent.
14. However, Your Excellencies, we must strengthen existing
mechanisms for national and international conflict management, and
create new avenues for cooperation, within and between our peoples and
our Nations.
15. Your Excellencies and dear friends, I firmly share the view
that if we stay focused and work together, we can make this 21st
century, the African century. A century where all our children will
have enough to eat; a century where all our children will be in
school; a century where economic growth and prosperity touches all,
regardless of gender, economic, political status, ethnic or religious
affinity.
16. For this to be achieved, our development must be
people-centred, people-driven and anchored on human security.
17. Your Excellencies, the current state of human security,
peace and development in our dear continent presents a picture of hope
as well as challenges. For over a decade, Africa has consolidated on
its democracy, and many countries have exited military dictatorship.
There is now a heightened commitment to the tenets of good governance,
and the rule of law.
18. Nigeria has always sought security, peace and development.
We are steadily developing a strong and vibrant democracy. There is
enthusiastic participation across the Nation, with a purposeful
government and active opposition parties. This was clearly expressed
in the last national elections held in 2011, which received wide
national and international acclaim, and was adjudged the freest and
fairest ever in our nation's history.
19. But as our Nations grow, and as Africa grows, we must
address some fundamental challenges to our human security, peace and
development.
20. Terrorism, which is a global menace, has extended its
tentacles to Africa and Nigeria. In concert with our regional and
global partners, we will continue to respond strategically and
decisively to this scourge, and together with our people we shall end
the killings and bring terrorism to an end.
21. Your Excellencies, let us work together across boundaries,
not only to coordinate and strengthen our defences, but also to
address any socio-economic roots on which these extreme ideologies
thrive.
22. Terrorism must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
We all must work together, collectively, to rid our world of haters of
peace, who use terror to maim, kill, instil fear and deny people their
rights to peace and security.
23. The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria is one of such
condemnable acts of terror. We have continued to deploy human and
military intelligence, in close collaboration with our partners, to
bring an end to their nefarious activities.
24. Greater regional cooperation in intelligence gathering and
control of insurgents will ensure not only Nigeria's security, but
also the security of our neighbours.
25. A great threat to our collective human and national security
is the rising menace of the use of small arms and light weapons. Out
of the 500 million illegal small arms and light weapons in the world,
an estimated 100 million are in Africa, with 10% in West Africa,
mainly in the hands of non-state actors.
26. Africa has had enough of wars. And the cost of wars and
insurgencies are too high. It has been estimated that Africa loses 18
billion dollars per year from wars as well as insurgencies. Wars,
insurgencies and conflicts impact neighbouring countries even more,
due to displacement of refugees, illegal trafficking of arms and
disruption of economic activities.
27. When there are wars or conflicts, we all lose. When there is
peace, we all win. We must deepen our resolve to regulate the illicit
trade in small arms and light weapons, strengthen our enforcement of
the regional protocols, such as the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their
Ammunition and Related Materials; and the Nairobi Protocol for the
Prevention, Control, and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in
the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa.
28. We must do more to reduce some of the drivers of growth in
illicit small arms, including human insecurity, inequalities,
marginalization, ineffective disarmament, social exclusion and the
culture of violence.
29. Africa faces a huge challenge with youth population bulge.
By 2050, it is projected that about 40% of the population of Africa
will be made up of young people below the age of 15 years, while about
60% of the population will be made up of young people below the age of
25 years.
30. A major concern is the high level of unemployment among the
youth, especially those that are educated and skilled. No priority for
human security is more important for African countries than a sharp
focus on creating jobs for this teeming youth population. Skills
acquisition, entrepreneurship development, encouraging the youth to go
into agriculture as a business, and providing them with access to
cheaper financing to fulfil their dreams, are all needed to harness
and unleash the power of our youth to secure our collective future.
31. To foster this, we need to further strengthen intra-Africa
trade to create jobs. Africa must add value to its primary products
and commodities to ensure that wealth is created on the continent.
This will create wider scope for prosperity for our populations.
32. We must address the issue of inequality. There is no doubt
that Africa is growing and our economies are among some of the fastest
growing in the world. But this growth is not creating enough impacts
in terms of improving the living standards of our people.
33. We need inclusive growth that can stimulate broader shared
prosperity among our citizens. Social policies that improve access to
food, water, housing and education are crucial for inclusive growth
and social participation.
34. We must address the challenges of climate change. While
Africa accounts for less than three percent of greenhouse emissions,
it bears the greater brunt of the negative impacts of climate change.
Increasing incidences of floods and droughts create vulnerabilities,
displace populations and threaten human security.
35. The Africa Risk Capacity, the Specialized Agency of the
African Union, has a major role to play in reducing the impacts of
climate change on farmers, pastoralists, food security and budgets of
governments as they address the challenges imposed by extreme weather
events and natural disasters.
36. Africa must address the issue of women empowerment to
improve human security. When there are wars and social conflicts,
women and children bear the brunt of it. So, when we have peace and
stability, women and children should be those who benefit the most.
37. That is why I am calling today for an Affirmative Finance
Action for Women. Under this action, banks should devote at least
thirty percent of their bank lending in Agriculture to women farmers
and women-owned agribusinesses. The evidence is clear that women
rarely default on loans. This purposeful focus on women must become
our priority for the post-2015 MDGs. Securing women's future will
secure Africa's future.
38. This brighter future can only occur, if we improve
governance and accountability systems. We must reduce the cost of
governance and increase more of the national resources on the
governed. In particular, we need to reduce the cost of elections and
electioneering and shift greater focus on ensuring that the dividends
of democracy are delivered to our peoples.
39. But democracy alone is not enough. We must remain vigilant
and look into our peculiar situation in Africa and identify critical
factors that belies the extremism and terrorism that threatens our
collective security. The enemies of the state today in Africa are
often faceless, driven by religious extremism, ethnic mistrust and
rivalries, and propagandas of hate. Their nefarious actions are not
limited to any single country and no one is immune.
40. Therefore, as leaders we also must change our approach and
work more closely together to confront and defeat terrorists and
purveyors of hate. Terrorists do not respect borders or boundaries.
41. While we respect our national boundaries, terrorists move in
and out of our borders. It is now time that we agreed as African
leaders that acts of terror against one nation is an act of terror
against all.
42. We must not allow our countries to become safe havens for
terrorists. We must cooperate maximally in better managing our
political boundaries. We should adopt protocols that allow countries
to pursue terrorists well into their safe havens in other nations.
While we cannot redefine our borders, we must re-define our collective
approach to ending trans-boundary terrorism and insurgencies.
43. Your Excellencies, the African Union Peer Review Mechanism
needs to pay greater attention to the issues of human security, peace
and development. To promote this, I wish to propose the development of
an African Human Security Index that helps us to measure the progress
we are making on these and other critical issues in Africa, as shaped
by African countries themselves.
44. What Africa needs more than anything else in this 21st
century therefore is collective action for positive transformation for
the good of Africa.
45. There is no doubt that this is the African century. That is
why I want to call on other African leaders to join me in seeking new
ways to achieve our goals together, new strategies and workable
solutions that advance our cause for peace and development.
46. Let us work towards an Africa, where economic growth leads
to jobs for all school leavers, regardless of their ethnicity, their
religion, or their gender.
47. Let us work towards an Africa where we all live free from
the fear of war and terrorism, and where young Africans see a future
for themselves in productive employment, enterprise and education, and
not in the false promises of extremist ideology.
48. We must work towards an Africa in which human security is a
priority for all governments, where genuine and lasting peace makes it
possible to achieve, and where economic development works for the
benefit of all. It is that Africa of peace, of equity and justice that
I crave and it is that Africa that seeks and secures democracy, the
democracy that guarantees human happiness.
49. Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the
past is behind us and the future beacons on us. As leaders, we must
build a future Africa that generations yet unborn will be happy we
bequeathed to them. This must be an Africa devoid of wars and
conflicts. An Africa where there are no borders. An Africa where there
is free movement of people, goods and services. An Africa that is full
of boundless opportunities. To this new Africa we must commit
ourselves.
50. Long live Africa, Long live Nigeria, God bless you all.
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