Nigerians, especially the youth have been told that the keys to the country’s greatness have been “our age-long unity in diversity and peaceful coexistence, even as a people of diverse tribal and ethnic differences.”
Prince Siyanbola Oladigbolu, a mariner, who is front line contender for the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo, gave the charge in his response to a series of stimulating situations facing Nigeria, the biting national economy and security challenges, even, among other contentious issues emanating from the last general elections posing as threats to peaceful coexistence.
He called on aggrieved parties to eschew violence, allow peace to reign and avoid issues threatening national security even as the country prepares for transition into a new government in a matter of weeks.
The Oyo prince said the keys to Nigeria’s greatness have been “our age-long unity in diversity and peaceful coexistence, even as a people of diverse tribal and ethnic differences.”
According to Prince Oladigbolu, Nigerians should respect the natural arrangements of God, who foreknew things to happen and allow Him to rise to situations in the country, while he also encouraged people to explore all possible legal means to solving problems and not to take laws into their hands.
The serial business developer and political observer, Prince Oladigbolu, said, “Nigeria and Nigerians should respect the natural arrangements of our creator,” noting that, “we should do away with ethnic, tribal differences and religious sentiments and continue to coexist peacefully as we have always done in the past years.”
“The Almighty God that created us to celebrate unity in diversity and diversity in unity never made a mistake. The situation of our dear country now has gone far beyond the considerations for ethnicity extractions to define our collective identity.”
Prince Oladigbolu contended that Nigeria belongs to all and “we must learn to leave together as an indissoluble entity to attain the greatness God has ordained for us as a nation.”
“In the 50s before independence, even from the post-independence era, in the 60s, and even up to the 70s, growing up was very fantastic and no one cared what part of the nation anyone came from. Why can’t we Continue that way?” He asked.
The Oyo Prince said, “as a Yoruba man from a royal home, could you believe I have a lot of my friends cutting across other ethnic nationalities in the country, the Hausas, Igbos, Deltas, others and Yorubas, we all grew up together, went to school together and are even in business together to date. This is how life should be so that we can enjoy its richness both in human and material resources.
He also charged that Lagos State as the “Centre of Excellence” and “the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria” should be allowed to remain so as the pride of the nation, where several ethnic nationalities have been coexisting even before it became Nigeria’s capital city and after Abuja took over the status, “we’ve all lived together as one, the brotherly love should continue.”
“Nigerians generally and most importantly, the Lagos residents may be different in their operational mode of business from those residing in other parts of the country because of its heterogenous status and for its direct exposure to the outside world being the gateway to the nation, still, our brotherly love is superb and that is how we have been operating in every area of life even to our business interests which are the preambles to our gathering in Lagos.
“Now, we should not allow political differences to go beyond election days. The political class are always good friends and temporary enemies. No reasonable youth should be looking at violence as a means to approach the government. That is not good. Let’s be civil and follow the legal ways to advance our course of action where necessary.
“Open confrontation against the government of the day without following through the legal means will further complicate matters than issues we are trying to solve.
“So, violence is not the best option. The youthful Nigerians should Instead look forward to how to key into the opportunities coming from different developmental initiates in the country, even as the future of our nation” Prince Oladigbolu charged.
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