vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday reflected on myriads of challenges being faced in the land and concluded that Nigeria is on the verge of breakthrough.
He urged Nigerians not to allow the rhetoric of division to blur their vision of unity of the country.
The vice president spoke when he paid the Eid-el-fitr homage to President Muhammadu Buhari at the new Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja.
Describing Nigeria as a united country, he said those stoking the embers of division would not be allowed to succeed.
He told his host: “Mr. President, the country as we speak today, is at the threshold of greatness and you have said so yourself so many times. In any situation that something great and important is about to happen, there would usually be many negative and opposing forces that would want to keep that from happening.
“And I believe that our country is at the threshold of the breakthrough that we have been praying and hoping for all these many years. This is why many challenges are showing up; challenges around security, challenges around division, people who are stoking up embers of religious and ethnic divisions.
“But this gathering is one of those gatherings that those of us in leadership; political leadership and religious leadership, demonstrate to our people that this country is a county of one people; the Nigerian people.
“We may be different in our faiths, different in our ethnicities, but we are one people, the Nigerian people are one and united.
“For that reason, I would want to commend all of our leaders who are here, for making this a tradition that we would come together as Christians and Muslims, and people of different faiths, for this particular event; not only to demonstrate our respect and pay our homage to Mr. President on this occasion, but to demonstrate to our people that this country is a united country and that those who want to stoke up embers of division would not be allowed to do so.
“So, I really want to urge all of our leaders who are here, religious and political leaders that we must not allow the rhetoric of division to supersede the rhetoric of unity. We must also speak up; we must speak in ways that unite our country.
“We cannot keep quiet because there are so many negative statements being made every day and sometimes we ignore those statements and say ‘these are people who have no understandings.’
“But if we allow these negative statements to continue, then they will define our country and define the situation of our country.
“As I said, our country is destined for greatness and I know that the Almighty God will lead us to that greatness. And as we go day by day towards that greatness, those who want to hold us back, the Lord God Almighty will prevent them from doing so.”
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