…….warns against ethnic profiling, religious bigotry
Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has called for strong consensus among elites, urging the implementation of a policy framework that will promote social cohesion and unity in Nigeria.
The Vice President stated that Nigeria must prioritize its unity, cohesion, and progress by doing away with prejudices such as ethnic profiling, religious bigotry, and the promotion of divisive rhetoric, particularly by Nigerian elites in the quest for power.
He maintained that “our diversity ought to be a blessing and not a curse,” adding that Nigeria has the potential to be a great nation.
Professor Osinbajo stated this while delivering a lecture, “Creating a Homeland for All: Nation Building in a Diverse Democracy,” as part of the policy-making and good governance lecture series initiated by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) management.
He noted that the weaponization of ethnic or religious prejudices for political purposes are a lethal, potentially destructive situation.
“But when ethnic or religious prejudices are weaponized for political purposes, we are confronted with a lethal, potentially destructive situation.” Elections, by their very nature, tend to be divisive affairs. “Partisan democratic competition compels us to align ourselves with the camps that most reflect our ideals and aspirations,” he said.
Regarding the settlers-indigenes dichotomy, the vice-president called for replacing the certificate of indigenes with a certificate of residence or birth, insisting that such a move would promote cohesion.
He also called for a stronger and more equitable justice system that will treat all Nigerians equally, regardless of tribal, religious or ethnic affiliations.
The vice-president also called on the media to de-emphasise issues that promote ethnic and religious profiling and urged them to report news that would unite Nigerians
He decried the rising spate of divisiveness, which according to him, was responsible for Nigeria’s backwardness.
Professor Osinbajo, who cited examples of Singapore, Tanzania and Rwanda as nations that effectively managed their diversities, said Nigeria could take a cue from them.
”Most heterogeneous nations have been able to manage and harness their diversities for the good of all and we can also do same in Nigeria. Our diversity in Nigeria should not be a burden. In fact, it is a blessing, and so we must develop the capacity to manage this diversity for the growth of our nation,” Mr Osinbajo stated.
He added, “So, elites must come together and agree to end the ethnic and religious profiling that we are currently facing in our dear nation. We must prioritise things that bind us together and deprioritise ones that set us apart.”
Professor Osinbajo believes that “the political class and the nation’s leadership can do more in developing policies, laws and the enforcing them toward addressing the weaponization of ethnicity and religion in our dear nation.”
