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.
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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 world.
"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.

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.

Another excuse to avoid doing the job, blaming everything on god, god, god. Soon they will tell you that if there is corruption it is because god want it that way.

GEJ I see a year whereby your haters will start showing some love we shall keep on praying for our leaders and country at large