The presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to dismantle the walls of ethnic and religious divisions. He emphasized that these barriers have persistently hindered the nation’s unity and progress.
Obi made this statement while observing the International Human Solidarity Day in a series of tweets on his official handle on Wednesday.
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 Anambra State Governor further stated that Nigeria, as a “result of bad politics and elite insensitivity”, has become more divided than ever, making it difficult for people to work together for national development.”
He wrote, “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.”