Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that the only way Nigeria can overcome its present challenges is when Nigerians unite as one people.
Osinbajo said citizens at home and in the diaspora should promote the message of one country, noting that “anybody who looks at how Nigeria operates will recognize that we are better off in this system, and that is the truth.”
The Vice President stated this on Saturday during an interactive session with top officials of Nigeria’s High Commission in the United Kingdom, held at the Abuja House residence of the High Commissioner in London.
According to the VP, “Yorubas are not better off on their own, Igbos are not better off on their own, the North is not better off on its own. We are better off as one nation, that is why we are strong and that is why we can face the world.”
Still emphasizing the point about unity, Osinbajo noted that “everywhere in the world today, people are coming together to form stronger units, they are not breaking up, this is not the time to break up.
“If you read the economics of smaller nations, they are looking for ways of how they can become stronger by aligning with other nations. How does a country with all the potentials and everything that we have, think that the best way is to break up?”
Speaking further, the VP explained that “we are at a point in time in our history where we have security challenges, we have economic challenges, and if you talk about security, there are so many dimensions to it.
“If you look carefully, all of these could happen to any government and I think we are in the very best position to solve the problems that face us today.”
“Security challenges that we have didn’t show up in one day, but it is the government, the people, the men and women that will handle them.
“We happen to be that government, and I am very convinced that we are entirely capable of handling it. I think we are in the best possible position to solve these problems,” Osinbajo added.
In addition, the Vice President spoke about the popularity and credibility of President Muhammadu Buhari, identifying it as a crucial factor in galvanizing the entire system in resolving the challenges.
Osinbajo said: “the President is possibly the most popular Nigerian politician that we have ever had in generations. He is possibly the only person who can go into a place or somewhere without bossing people to gather and they will come and listen to him speak.
“We need that level of credibility to be able to solve problems in our country. And I think because of his level of credibility, despite everything, he is still the only one that can call everyone, and even people who do not necessarily agree with him know that he is a man of his words.”