Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that for a nation to be successful and achieve greatness, its people must be united and tolerant.
According to him, some of the greatest nations in the world are multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, and a united people working together are more likely to be economically successful.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa by a delegation from the Arewa Concerned People for National Unity and Religious Tolerance from Kano, led by Alhaji Auwal Maidabino and Prince Usman Ado-Bayero.
According to the Vice President, “there is no great nation anywhere that has not had this sort of challenge, especially where you have a multi-racial, multi-religious setup. And the greatest nations in the world are multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic.
“As a matter of fact, some of these things are as important as the economy and security…. for the reason that a united people, people who see themselves as one, are more likely to be economically successful, more likely to be able to secure themselves and secure their borders, and more likely to work together for the goodness and greatness of their people.”
Continuing, the VP told the delegation that “it is the duty of the leadership, not just political leadership, but also the leadership of social groups and organizations such as yours, to ensure that we are focused on these issues of unity and tolerance.”
Prof. Osinbajo explained further that “as you know, religious tolerance and unity, is for me, a matter that goes beyond mere advocacy. I believe very strongly that the greatness of nations, wherever those nations may be, have always been on account of leaders who thought it fit to build those nations on the basis of unity and tolerance.
“I think that it is such an important issue that we cannot afford to discount it. There is a need for us to pay more time and attention to these issues in whatever way we can because every once in a while, we see some threats to the unity of our country, and we must not allow it to happen at all, we must continue not just in the advocacy, but in action that will bring about unity and religious tolerance,” Prof. Osinbajo added.
Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Maidabino commended Prof. Osinbajo for his innovative approach to governance and the several initiatives of the Buhari administration anchored through his office and prayed God to provide the opportunity to enable him continue to serve the nation.
Alhaji Maidabino noted that through schemes such as TraderMoni, National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, N-Power, and the Ease of Doing Business initiative, among others, the Vice President has impacted many Nigerians across different sectors.
His words: “we wish to commend and congratulate you for your contributions in the area of promotion of good governance, transparency, and efficiency as exemplified with the core principles behind the Ease of Doing Business initiative of this government, and for the continuation of your uncompromising dedication to peace, unity, and economic progress, among others.”
He informed the Vice President of plans by the group to convene a national forum on unity as part of its contributions to entrenching peaceful coexistence and unity among Nigerians.
