“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty”. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States 1961.
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty”. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States 1961.
Fellow Nigerians, barely 10 hours after the United Nations house in Abuja was attacked, I speak to you all with a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility. Our country has been attacked. We have just witnessed yet another wicked act of killing and maiming of innocent citizens by those who prefer violence to dialogue and tolerance. On a day when all Nigerians went about their daily commitments in peace and with vigour, the perpetrators of this cowardly act, bombed the United Nations Building. They threw our country into mourning and sought to place us on the map of terrorist nations.
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I deeply regret the loss of lives and extend my heartfelt sympathy and that of all Nigerians to the families of the victims of the recent bombing. I share in your sorrow and pain. The innocent blood that was shed will serve as tonic to achieve greater security of lives. The blood of these ones this moment and henceforth challenges us to do more to secure individual freedoms and ensure national security.
This attack on the UN House must be considered as an attack on our fatherland. An attack on the very values of peace, tolerance, diversity and respect that we all hold dear. Without any shadow of doubt, I say that the perpetrators of this dastardly act do not share these values. They hold in contempt the lives of innocent citizens and consider Nigeria as an object they could own. But Nigeria is greater than any group, organization, association, sect or movement. Our people are a strong, resilient and reasonable people, ready at a moment’s notice to rise up in defence of the freedom that our heroes’ past labored for. We did not survive a civil war to keep this country united and marching forward to now come and surrender it to a group bent on the path of violence and ruination. Let it be told at home at abroad, that our people are worth defending and our country is worth dying for.
Like the American President, J.F Kennedy said, “ Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty”. I am ready to work with all peace loving men and women to defend Nigeria and the liberties we have fought so hard to gain. Nigeria will under my watch no longer tolerate any such attacks and assault on our lives and our collective security. Our homeland will not be turned into an enclave for terrorists.
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Which is why I condemn in the very strongest terms the attack on the UN building last Friday. It is a barbaric act, senseless and indefensible. It is an attack on both national and global security. It demonstrates the lowest level to which those that disagree with the civil way we live our lives can sink. This attack re-awakens us to the need for a greater security consciousness. A security orientation that is robust and effective- powerful enough to sniff from a distance those plotting to destroy our society, our values and our loved ones. A new security regime that puts the security of Nigeria and every Nigerian first above every other consideration is underway as I speak. The series of bombings to which the group that calls itself Boko Haram has owned up to challenges the national security of the Nigerian nation and her sovereignty. This is unacceptable and I am ready to lead the battle to reverse this trend. Our desire for dialogue and call for restraint and tolerance must not be regarded as a weakness or that of being slow to act. Rather, it must be seen as a first practical approach to resolving a sensitive issue. However, when the season of such desire for conversation lapses or is rewarded with more bombs and attacks, Nigeria as a country is left with no other choice than to defend itself. Under my leadership, Nigeria will rise up to this challenge. I call on all security oufits in the country to step up to the plate in their intelligence and routine security work. I direct that the Police, SSS, NIA and the Army share the intelligence they gather on a very frequent basis. To this end, I announce the creation of the Nigerian Homeland Security, NHS, whose sole mandate will be to secure our borders and all entry points and also ensure internal security based on the intelligence gathered. The NHS will henceforth serve as a clearing house for all security matters and will under the purview of the National Security Adviser report directly to the Presidency. The leadership of this body will be drawn from experienced hands found in all our security outfits and patriotic Nigerians will be employed and trained to serve as foot soldiers in the defence of our fatherland. I call on the Immigrations and Customs to rise up to their responsibilities and secure our borders. No longer will the entry of illegal and undocumented persons alongside illegal shipments of goods be allowed. A weekly report of their activities must be made available to the Nigerian Homeland Security, NHS.
We must all be willing henceforth to give up some of our freedoms in order to ensure our security and increase the chances of persons that wish to do us arm. Therefore, I call upon all Nigerians to forbear and be patient with our security and intelligence forces as they carry our screenings and searches and ask questions. I wish to assure Nigerians that their fundamental human rights will not be violated in so long as the necessary cooperation is extended. In the same token, I call upon the officers of the law to perform their task with respect and professionalism. I call upon all peace loving Nigerians to go about their businesses without any fear. Only the guilty need to fear.
The hour is past midnight. We now know that the time for action is here. We are convinced that rather than choose the path of peaceful resolution, some persons have chosen the path of violence. We know for sure that Nigeria is under attack. But we will not waiver, falter or fail. We will rise up as patriots who love this country and who want to see it attain greatness to defend our freedoms.
I trust that the international community will support us in this battle to win our country back and defend it against future attacks and security breaches. Nigeria is our country and we will not negotiate it away to any group or organization. I therefore call on all Nigerians to join hands with me and my administration to confront this evil and work to roll back the threat of terrorism. We must ensure that the labour of our heroes’ past and our courageous forbears will never be in vain. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
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