He gave the warning at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday while beginning a series of consultations with regional leaders and traditional rulers from the North and the South East beginning with northern elders.
He is scheduled to meet with leaders of thought from the south east on Wednesday, traditional rulers from south east on Friday and traditional rulers from the north on Sunday.
The consultations are coming on the heels of the agitation by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) and the quit notice served on Igbos living in the north by some northern youth groups.
Addressing the northern leaders, Osinbajo warned against crises as he observed that when started, it would come with unintended consequences.
He said government was determined to preserve the unity of the country and would therefore not tolerate any divisive behaviour.
While noting that a diverse country like Nigeria would always have its challenges, Osinbajo observed that there were louder noises of hate and divisiveness in recent times than it was in the past with agitation by IPOB and its affiliate group and the ultimatum given by northern groups for Igbos to leave the north.
He admonished elders who he said had witnessed several phases of Nigeria’s development to give direction to the younger ones as they went about venting their grievances.
He pointed out that there was no homogenous place in Nigeria as different ethnic groups co-habit both in the north and south.
The acting President said: “Every form of violence, every form of hate speech, any stone that is thrown in the market place will hit targets that are not even intended.
“So I need us to be fully conscious of that and the Nigerian people must be made to be fully conscious of that so that we do not create a crisis that is unintended.
“As part of living together, I know that misunderstandings and frustrations will always arise and people will always want to get the best part of the deal but we must be careful to recognize that we can only begin to talk about any part of anything if we are together in peace.
“These days, wars do not end and I am sure that those who have seen or experienced war in any shape or form will not wish it on their worst enemies.
“This is not a time to retreat behind ethnic lines. Moments like this are not for isolating ourselves. I want to urge all of us here and the entire Nigerian populace to come together and work together.
“As a government, we are determined to ensure the unity of the country along the lines of our constitution and I want to say that hate and divisive speech or divisive behaviour where it is illegal, will be met with the full force of the law.
“And I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence especially because when we make these kinds of pronouncements and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property, we are no longer in control.
“Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.
“So, I want to empathise that government will take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of this country.
“And that is very important because you cannot control violence once it begins.”
Among the northern leaders present at the meeting were Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Ibrahim Coomassie; former Sokoto state governor, Aliyu Wammako; Publisher, Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda Isaiah; Chairman of Northern states Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Yakubu Pam, Dr Usman Bugaje, Mrs Paullen Tallen, Chief Paul Unongo, Prof. Ango Abdulahi, Manir Dan Ali, Ahmed Ramallan, Bala Lau, Ibrahim Ahmed Makarfi, Fatima Bala Abubakar, Mohammed Hayatudeen and Yima Sen.
Also present were Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonishakin; Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Danbazzau; Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Director General of Department of State Services, Lawal Daura.
and then