Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has made case for the country to remain united, stating that the nation’s elite, both Christians and Muslims and all ethnicities must recognise that that they must make sacrifi ces.
He regretted the ongoing debate of division in the country but expressed confi dence that what he called “noise” is just the pang of birth of a greater Nigeria.
Osinbajo stated this in Abuja yesterday at a presidential Sallah lunch, he said all components of the country were important even as he maintained that the country will remain united.
Speaking against the backdrop of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, he affi rmed that the nation’s elite, both Christians and Muslims, and all ethnicities must recognise that they have to make sacrifi ces that were necessary to attain the destiny that God had brought unto the people.
According to him: “Despite all the noise that we hear, all that noise is part of the building.
Everybody knows that you cannot have birth without noise.
No woman delivers a baby without some noise and without some pains.
“What we are hearing today are the noises and the pains of that great nation that God is about to give birth to.
” He added: “I am one of those who are extremely confi dent that our nation will remain united because I am convinced that God’s plans and purpose for Nigeria is that we would be the pre-eminent black nation in the world.
“Th is is a nation that will show forth in culture, in technology and in commerce, God’s investment in the black race.
“Th is is why today for every, some people say out of four blacks, some say fi ve, one must be a Nigerian.
Th at is not a mean attainment at all.
“Th at nation that God has in mind is a diverse nation.
Diverse in resources, in ideas and in opinions.
Th e kind of nation that we have, where there is an argument about something everywhere.
Before you get tired of that lone argument, another one arises and before you fi nish with that one there is yet another one.
“Th is is the type of country that God has ordained.
Where we have diversity of opinions, diversity of ideas.
” Osinbajo noted that despite the divergence in opinions among Nigerians, God’s wish for the country is to be together and, therefore, resources and energies should not be concentrated on discussing division.
According to him, “People are saying their own things here and there.
But He has also planned that this country will remain together, and that we’ll be a nation that is gifted just as we have the oil, the gas, and the most arable lands than most continents.
“Th is is a country that has all of what other countries will travel and spend money looking for the sort of resources that we have.
All of the tourism resources that we have people will travel everywhere looking for them.
“It’s a nation of men and women so creative and prosperous, that we will feed the entire continent and create opportunities for the world.
“Our energies and resources shouldn’t be spent again on debate about division.
“Our manifest destiny is to be a great nation, not to be a nation where we are talking about division.
“We must focus our time, our energies and our resources on being that great nation that God has called us to be.
“I think we have started building that country already.
” Speaking on the need for sacrifi ce, he pointed out that the signifi cance of the Sallah celebration was the willingness of Abraham to make the great sacrifi ce of possibly the dearest thing to him, his son, Isaac.
“And Abraham was able to make that sacrifi ce.
And he made it in order to be able to fulfi ll his own destiny and the destiny of his people,” the Vice President declared.
Similarly, former Vice President and Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, has said that the country is too old and too big to fail, adding that restructuring the federating units is what the country urgently need to achieve the desires of its founding fathers.
He, however, commended the Niger Delta youths for rescinding their counter quit notice to persons of Northern and Southwestern descents to quit the South South region.
In a statement he personally signed yesterday in Abuja, Atiku said what the country need was not uniformity but harmony, adding that there is enough in Nigeria for everyone’s need and to meet every bloc’s aspirations.
Just as I commended Arewa Youths for listening to good counsel and withdrawing the ill-advised quit notice to people of Igbo origin to leave the North before October 1 or face the consequences, I similarly applaud Niger Delta youths for rescinding their counter quit notice to persons of Northern and Southwestern descents to quit the South-south region.
“Th is news could not have come at a better time as when Nigeria defeated Cameroon 4-0.
Th e Super Eagles scored four goals and none of those goals were scored in the name of Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba or, indeed, under the aegis of North or South.
Each and every one of those goals were resoundingly for Nigeria.
“No one disowns a child when he or she is almost 60.
Nigerian is too old and too big to fail.
Instead of divisions, what we must do is restructure our federation till it more closely resembles the almost perfect union that our Founding Fathers chiseled together at the various pre-Independence conferences.
“Just like an orchestra, we may all sing diff erently, but when our voices are blended, together, they give off a richer more melodious symphony than would ever have been possible if we were to sing individually.
” He, therefore, urged all Nigerians to be hopeful, saying “to be great, every nation must go through struggle.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, if you are going through struggles, keep going.
We will go through and emerge better than before.
Th is is my promise to Nigeria.
