Obasanjo laments state of disunity, says Nigeria more divided than during civil war

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has lamented the current state of disunity in Nigeria, claiming that the country is more divided now than it was during the civil war.

Obasanjo made the comments in Abeokuta at a one-day “2019 annual conference and general meeting of members” of Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria (ACAEBIN).

During the conference, Obasanjo said; “When we look at this country today, even during the civil war, we were not as divided as we are today. Today, we are in danger if we don’t take partnership serious. Partnership within our people, within Africa and the rest of the world.”

Read also: Ex-gov Gbenga Daniel resigns from PDP, quits politics

He also added that the private sector is the engine room of development in any country, stressing that as Nigerians and as Africans, that are certain elements that we have to take very serious.

“As Chief audit, it is defined by virtue of what you are doing as a profession. If the audit is awry, banking business will not be right. What I want to emphasise is that, it is a must as Nigerians and as Africans, that we have certain elements that we have to take very serious which I put as five Ps.

“The first is politics which is governance. Unless we get governance right, any other thing we are trying to do will not be right. The second is population. Our population at independence, we were estimated to be 45 million, but today we are 200 million.

“By the year 2050, we will be over 400 million. Normally, population should be an asset but looking at the condition we are in now, when in the North-East of Nigeria, the percentage of adult literacy is about 53 percent, you can see that, we have a problem and education is basic in all human development,” he added.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now