Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, has urged Nigerians to break down the barriers that divide different ethnic and religious groupings, arguing that the differences have always hampered the country’s progress and unity.
Obi announced this in a series of tweets on his X page on Wednesday, December 20th, in honor of International Human Solidarity Day.
He wrote:
“Today, we join the global community in celebrating the International Human Solidarity Day which is dedicated to strengthening our global unity in diversity, and to help in fostering international cooperation on the eradication of hunger and diseases at the global level.
“On the national level, Nigerians need to solemnly remind ourselves of the need to tear down the walls of ethnic and religious divisions that have continued to divide us and instead emphasize our unity and leverage our diverse and rich cultural and ethnic identities and strengths to advance our national progress.”
The former governor of Anambra state said that Nigeria has grown more divided than ever as a “result of bad politics and elite insensitivity,” making it challenging for citizens to cooperate for the country’s progress.
He stated:
“Unfortunately, we have, today as a nation, become more sharply divided than ever. Our dear nation is more polarised today than it has ever been, fueled by overwhelming tribal and religious sentiments among the people resulting in the unwillingness of Nigerians to cooperate and work together towards achieving national growth and development. This is clearly the result of bad politics and elite insensitivity.
“I, therefore, wish to use this occasion to remind Nigerians that the problems of hunger, poverty, and inequality are not specific to a particular ethnicity or religion, but cut across the nation. Thus, the task ahead of us, as political leaders and as citizens, is to continue to beat the drums of unity, social justice, and social equality to form one united front that will stand in solidarity against the many challenges that confront our nation.”