With increasing division and ethnic bigotry ravaging the peoples of Nigeria, amplified by politicians in the build-up, during and after the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi has presented Nigerians with two choices.
The former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, said the National Social Cohesion Index by African Polling Insitute at 36.6%, showed an “obvious lack of cohesion and unity among Nigerians”.
Obi said this in a statement on Thursday, May 16, while commemorating the International Day of Living Together in Peace, 2024. He said while peaceful living in Nigeria is challenged by current economic hardship, efforts must be made to close the current ethnic divisions. “While it is difficult to talk about peaceful living in the face of the many challenges currently facing our nation, where our nation has been so sharply divided along ethnic lines, we must not be tired of advocating for peace which remains a critical intangible asset for national development,” he said.
READ ALSO: “What can I do to be a good person like you?” 11-year-old boy asks Obi
The former governor of Anambra State added, “For a highly diverse nation like Nigeria, peaceful co-existence remains imperative. Sadly, a 2022 report by the Africa Polling Institute computed the Nigeria Social Cohesion Index (NSCI) as 39.6%, showing an obvious lack of cohesion and unity among Nigerians. A 2023 Global Peace Index report ranked Nigeria as the 144th most peaceful country out of 163 in the world and 37th out of 44 countries in Africa.
“The International Centre for Investigative Reporting shows that at least 2,336 people were killed in various violent attacks in Nigeria, within the first three months of 2024, meaning that approximately an average of 26 persons were killed daily between January 2024 and and the end of March 2024. Sad indeed! These negative statistics have continued to cost us many golden opportunities for development and have continued to discourage foreign and local investors in the country as many innocent lives are wasted.”
Obi advised Nigerians to choose rightly from the two choices of remaining united in hunger and insecurity, or united in efforts to end insecurity and move the nation forward.
“This day, therefore, presents us with two choices: either we remain a nation united by hunger and insecurity, with a burden of national underdevelopment, or we unite in our efforts to end insecurity, tribal, religious, and political division, and move our nation forward,” Obi added.
