In venturing forth into the immediate future, however, there are a few things which we must observe with the utmost seriousness and realism.
I would like to touch briefly on only two of them.
One: The greatest achievement of the present Federal Military Government is the creation of more States in Nigeria. Everything, therefore, must be done to make every State a viable, virile, and successful entity, enjoying complete autonomy within the spheres assigned to it by the Constitution. Because of the formidable financial and political position of the Federal Government, vis-a-vis the increasing consciousness of their rights, powers, and obligations on the part of the States, the temptation to want to bring the states under, to erode their residual and concurrent powers, and overshadow their influence, can be very strong. But, in the name of harmoniously united Nigeria, it must be resisted. The Federal Government is strong enough already. ‘1 he States must also be made strong. For, the strength of Nigeria’s federal chain consists no more and no less in that of each of the State links.
Two: By a flash of divine afflatus, and an act of unselfish and enlightened nationalism, General Gowon corrected the structural imbalances of our dear federation. But other dangerous imbalances remain. The Second National Development Plan has been rightly described as bold and far-reaching, – that is as compared with its immediate and remote predecessors. But having regard to the gargantuan nature of Nigeria’s pressing and urgent problems, and the rapid rate of our population growth, we are likely to find in 1974 that, among others, our inter-State and inter-personal economic and educational imbalances largely remain, to harass and torment us. We would do well to bear this point in mind, during the periodic reviews of the Plan.
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I must not take any more of your time – or, indeed, of mine It is now about 4 p.m., and we are expected back here at 6 p.m., But before closing, I have it in command from my wife, and I also consider it my bounden duty, to seize this opportunity to express the deep gratitude of my wife, myself, and my entire family to Mrs Victoria Gowon for her kindness and generosity to my family and myself.
‘The hands that rock the cradle’, so goes the wise saying ‘rule the empire.’ fit is not presumptuous to do so, I would like to add that the hands that tend a ruler in true affection, in large measure, rule the nation of this is so, then the contributions of Victoria to the progress of this country thus far stand in bold and historic relief.
It is because he has a happy home base, provided by Victoria, that General Gowon is able to tackle the onerous problems confronting our beloved fatherland with such obvious enthusiasm and devotion. ‘If we are related’, says Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘we shall meet.
‘Very well then “I believe we are related – and so we shall continue to meet – again and again. Those who genuinely and sedulously seek to advance the prosperity, welfare, and happiness of the entire people of this Federation, without any discrimination whatsoever, cannot but be related. And so, though after midnight, I am no longer a member of your Government, yet we shall remain together, in an indissoluble partnership, in the pursuit of the common good of our people.
and then