Today modern Nigeria is 100 years old- President Jonathan ushers in centenary‏

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President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that
January 2014 does not only mark a new year
but is special because it heralds the dawn of
100 years of existence as a nation and a
modern Nigeria.
The President spoke at the Catholic Church’s
Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Nigeria,
Garki in Abuja during the New Year service.
Jonathan said, “Today(Wednesday) is a special
day.    January 1, 2014 is special because the
amalgamation of the southern and northern
protectorates happened on January 1, 1914.
“Today (Wednesday), modern Nigeria is 100
years old. The formal ceremony will take place
in February. The programme will soon be
advertised for all Nigerians to see and know the
areas they will participate. All the religious
houses will be involved in one form of prayer or
the other.
“So, today (Wednesday), we are not just
celebrating the New Year, we are also
celebrating a special new year. A new year
that   modern Nigeria is 100 years old. And we
should use this period to begin to think of
what    Nigeria will   be in the next 100 years.
“We should think what the future of our
children and our grandchildren will be in the
next 100 years.”
Jonathan called on politicians to stop heating
up the polity in order to preserve the unity of
the country.
He said, “As we continue to play politics,
leaders will come and go but the country will
stay.
“Luckily, we have a constitution 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 , this country will be
better.
“Nigeria can even change in the next few years
and things will be better for everybody. By
God’s grace, this country will be better in 2014.
“Even in the power sector that people always
make reference to, since we have been able to
do be first phase of privatisation and generation
and distribution handed over to the private
sector, we believe that before the middle of
this year, power will be reasonably stable and
that will stimulate the economy.
“I believe and I am convinced that 2014 will be
a better year than 2013.”