abridge PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN's NEW YEAR SPEECH.

Dear Great People of our nation, 1. I greet and felicitate with you all ad we enter the New Year today. As we mark the beginning of this New Year,2015, a new nation is being born. A new nation is beinb born because of the foundations we have all laid,working together for the good and progress of our dear fatherland. 2. I join you all in thanking God Almighty who has brought us this far,for continually Bestowing his Grace upon us and for guiding our great nation safety through all the challenges of the past year. 3. This year,as in the year past, I reaffirm my commitment to work to ensure a secure future for our dear country and the generations yet unborn. 4. Last year,we celebrated our hundredth year of nationhood. The year brought us further progress,challenges and fresh opportunities. 5. We have contended with the normal challenges of nation-building and the unusual challenges of terrorism. 6. But we have continued to vigorously confront those who seek to destroy the bonds of unity that hold us together. 7. On this first day of the New Year,I want to pay special tribute to the gallant officers, men and women of our Armed Forces and other security agencies who have been in the forefront of the war against terrorism and violent extremism in our country and sub-region. 8. I also commend all Nigerians who have remained vigilant and co-operative with our security agencies in the fight against the common enemy. 9. We are re-equipping and re-positioning our armed forces to enhance their capacity to win the ongoing war against terror and insurgency. 10. Regrettably,terrorists have unleashed much pain and agony on our land. They have made widows of our mothers and sisters and orphans of our children. They have shut down businesses,desecrated places of worship and brought untold hardship to both men and women. They have violated the culture and peaceful way of life in our country,which took generations to build. 11. They have destroyed countless schools and displaced people from their communities,driving them into exile. 12. I want to assure you that the terrorists will not get away with their atrocities:they will not win,they will be routed. As President, I feel the pain of all affected communities and families. I hear their cries and share their sorrow and pain. 13. We will not forget; we will not look the other way. We have done a lot of painstaking planning and work to resolve the current security challenge. We will bring justice to the savage terrorists known as Boko Haram. They will be defeated. 14. That is the solemn commitment I make today as President of the Federal Republic,and Commander-in-chief of our Armed Forces. 15. By the Special Grace of God, the Federal Government,under my leadership,has continued,in the past four years to lead our country forward,even under the most trying circumstancees. 16. The progress we have made in priority areas bears us testimony. 17. Amongst other achievements,we have rehabilitated and expanded our rail transportation network,successfully privatized power generation and distribution,significantly reformed and increased local participation in our oil and gas industry,and improved nationwide access to potable water from 57% in 2010, to 70% at present. 18. We have also made significant progress in improving access to primary,secondary and tertiary education by building and equipping more schools,including special Almajiri schools,and establishing additional universities to ensure that each state of the nation now has at least one Federal University. 19.Our national economy maintained a steady growth rate of close to 7% in the past four years and millions of fresh employment opportunities were created for our people as a direct consequence. 20. Recently,we launched the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP) and the $100 million dollars Government and Donor Fund for Agriculture Finance in Nigeria ( FAFIN) to fast-track the positive transformation of our agricultural sector. 50. Nigeria is a key country in Africa. We must work together to maintain our strategic position and collaborate with others to move the continent forward.