Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has declared that the unity of Nigeria hinges on ensuring justice, equity, and fairness for all the segments of the society.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Vice-President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande on Friday, March 13.
The statement revealed that Osinbajo made this declaration while delivering the Convocation Lecture of the Sokoto State University in Sokoto.
The Vice President also warned against overlooking fears of ethnic marginalisation or discrimination on account of ethnicity and religion in the country.
He said: “Political, especially ethnic leaders and religious leaders must do the difficult work of educating their publics about the need to live together. It is the elites, leaders that will do the onerous job of ensuring unity in our communities.”
According to him, “unity is not just a slogan or even merely a good idea. It has manifest expression in our communities where Nigerians from diverse backgrounds are co-mingling, trading, partnering, inter-marrying, and blending in various ways.
“This is why we must understand that even though managing diversity can be politically and administratively onerous, diversity itself is an economic strength, and harnessing it properly is hugely rewarding.”
The Vice-President further stated that if properly harnessed, a country’s diversity could ensure lasting prosperity for all.
He said: “It is a matter of interest that the most prosperous economies in the world are typically diverse places. Because the true wealth of nations in the 21st century is human capital, societies that set out to attract and retain the most diverse pool of skilled human resources are ordained to prevail in the race for prosperity.”
