Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned calls for the disintegration of the country.
Obasanjo who insisted that such a move will be “idiotic”, added that it shouldn’t be coming at a time Africa is trying to reintegrate for political, social, and economic development.
In his speech at a luncheon and investiture organised by the Nigerian Institution of Surveyor, Ogun State chapter and held at the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, the former President cited Pakistan, Yugoslavia, and Sudan as countries who have broken away but are yet to find solutions to their problems.
Asking what will happen to minority groups in the country if the country disintegrates, Obasanjo called on all agitators for the disintegration of the country to shelve the idea and work for the unity and oneness of the country.
Also admitting that the present situation in the country is not palatable, he stated that these things are correctable if we make efforts to correct them.
Obasanjo said “If there is any Nigerian who does not feel apprehensive on the situation of the country, the person is a human being without being human. Any Nigerian who is human will be apprehensive, if not frustrated with the present situation in the country. We are apprehensive about security situation, apprehensive about economic situation, apprehensive about our political situation and the drum we are hearing is that of disintegration of the country. I am a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost, but one Nigeria where every Nigerian can feel proud that he or she has a stake in this country. No Nigerian is born a slave in this country. No Nigerian is born to be oppressed in this country and those of us that have shared part of our blood and sweat for this country, we did that because we wanted a country that every Nigerian can claim as his or her own. One thing that gives us strength is our diversity. If all that we have is Republic of Oduduwa for those who said so, their position is understandable. If that is all we have, members of that country will be diminished compared to be a citizen of Nigeria. Citizens of Oduduwa Republic or any other republic from Nigeria will be diminished compared to citizens of Nigeria. In this age and time that we are talking about the reintegration of Africa for economic development, disintegration of any country will be almost idiotic if we have Igboland as an independent country, Yorubaland an independent country and Fulani/Hausaland an independent country. And as a friend of mine in the military used to say then, what will become of the over 300 minorities – the Jukuns, the Gbasamas? Where will they belong? The only reason they can raise up their heads is because they belong to Nigeria. Are we thinking of them or are we are just being selfish? It doesn’t matter what we do, we will still be neighbours. We had seen it before, India was broken into India and Pakistan, they are still at war till today. Yugoslavia was broken into how many countries, they haven’t sorted it till today. Sudan was broken into Sudan and South Sudan, I don’t believe South Sudan is better for it and that is the truth. I believe it will cost us less to work for our unity, there are many things wrong, but those things are correctable if we make efforts to correct them and hold us together than what it will cost us to break up and be perpetually at war and all our money will be spent in building an army. I know what an army contains, I know what it means to keep an army, an army that may not be productive, let us think about it”