“Equality will promote meritocracy, growth and security. Tribalism, regionalism and religious intolerance should never be acceptable in Nigeria. Within the Nigerian federation, anyone, regardless of their home state should be treated equally and have full protection under federal law. That is the only way that all Nigerians can be at home in any part of the country and proudly say ‘I am a Nigerian Citizen.’
“That is the only way we can eradicate tribalism, regionalism and religious intolerance before they destroy our beloved Nigeria. The constitution recognises anyone born in Nigeria by Nigerian parents as a citizen. We must go the next step and accept all Nigerians residing in any part of the country as equal citizens. Our new Bill of Rights must therefore amend our constitution to criminalise discrimination of Nigerian citizens residing in any part of the country based on their place of origin”, Jonathan explained.
He continued “Indigenes and residents must pay the same amount for school fees and social services all over the county. Every Nigerian must feel at home in any part of Nigeria. It is the only way that each of us will be able to say,
“As our country increases its equality, its cultural value will increase too. When we increase the cultural value of Nigeria and show it to the world, not only will people spend their business dollars in our country, but their vacation dollars too. You have to buy into the culture of a country before you decide to visit or invest. It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy for our beloved nation. As we invest in the equality of our people and strive to make ourselves more equal, the world will take notice. Nothing better sums up this vision for Nigeria than our national anthem, which sounds as good in prose…”
The former president pointed out that rather than spending money on resources that would run out, these monies should be invested in people who are the key constant elements in the socio-economic transformation of society.
“Nigeria is projected to have a population that will surpass that of the United States of America by the year 2050. But if we have not invested in our people, then we will not be ready to manage. Our money must go towards providing education for all, because we know that once our citizens are educated, they have futures. Those futures lead to safer cities, stable economies, and more businesses. When a young person does not have access to education, their future is jeopardised and statistics show that they may be prone to anti-social and criminal activities,” he hinted.
President Jonathan stated that it has always been his consistent desire to help consolidate peace and cultivate democracy in Nigeria and across the Continent.
“In fact, it was the key foreign policy objective of my administration when we were able to help broker peace and restore democracy in Niger, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cote d’Ivoire.
“In Mali – As the co-mediator of the effort to return the nation to democracy after a surprising military take-over, I was the only sitting President to visit Mali and meet all the stakeholders in the early and difficult times of the crisis. I ensured that Nigeria played the leading role in all the negotiations coordinated by ECOWAS. Our efforts produced a political timetable for the holding of democratic elections. I was happy that our work led to the historic Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed in Bamako on 15th May, 2015, which I was privileged to witness”, Jonathan added.
He disclosed that in Cote d’Ivoire, in 2010, ECOWAS, under his leadership, demonstrated its commitment to enduring democracy, by standing firm behind the winner of the presidential election Alassane Ouattara who later assumed office as President.
Jonathan noted that as the President of Nigeria and a key actor in ECOWAS, he was able to encourage peaceful elections in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Togo.
“The focus of my energies is to uphold democratic principles, promote peaceful political transitions and support citizen entrepreneurship and intra-Africa trade. These are precisely the objectives of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation. We will achieve this by working with African governments, the private sector, civil society and other friends of Africa to galvanise action towards improving our societies and making a change in the lives of the ordinary people in our various countries. We will work for good governance by promoting credible and transparent elections, as well as peaceful power transfers. I have no doubt that this is the basic requirement we need for strengthening our institutions and enthroning stability,” he added.