Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the country cannot be unified if there is no justice, fairness and equity in the land, insisting that Nigeria’s challenges require a joint effort.
He disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists after a meeting with three governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Samuel Ortom of Benue.
According to the former president, when the country has the basic ingredients that will bring unity and inclusiveness, then, all other things will take their position.
“You will remove conflict, you will be able to deal with this pernicious issue of insecurity and of course, the issue of economy and the wholesomeness of the society.
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“I had ceased to be a partisan politician, I don’t belong to any political party, but if politics is about the welfare of the people, I cannot cease to be a politician, because I must always seek the welfare of the people,” he said.
“And, of course, you all know what the situation of Nigeria is and anybody who doesn’t know that is either not a Nigerian or is not being truthful to himself or herself. As I often said, no one individual can say ‘yes I can do it’, because the situation in Nigeria today, we need all hands, all Nigerian hands on deck to restore Nigeria and that is what Governor Wike is saying to me.
“Courage, he doesn’t lack it, and if you have courage and you have conviction to speak your mind, well, we have a saying in this part of the world that ‘a person, who speaks the truth all the time may not even get a mat spread for him’, because you will incur the displeasure of people.
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“The issues he raised are the issues that are dear to my own heart for the unity and stability of Nigeria. There is one thing that I believe in and I have always said it over and over again; Nigeria is a complex country, but Nigeria is not a difficult country. If we are sincere and fair to ourselves, it is not a difficult country to manage and I wish him well.”
On his part, Wike said the visit was to consult with the former president.
“We have come to consult our leader — to consult somebody who has presided over the affairs of this country, not just as a president, but also as a former military head of state,” he said.
“The kind of experience he had and the passion he has for this country, coupled with his continuous preaching on unity and peace, is something to be emulated.
“This country requires somebody who has the courage; somebody who can take a firm decision and somebody who wants to unite Nigerians and that is what we think that we should do.”