Terrorist bombs never ask the question about the religious persuasion of
its victims or their ethnic origins, before causing havoc and destruction,
according to Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
The Vice President spoke today at the church service marking the country’s
55th Independence Day coming up later in the week on October 1.
“I have travelled the length and breadth of this nation, especially in the
Northeastern parts in the last few months and I have seen children, women,
men who were bomb victims. I have seen the dead, the wounded, the sick.
Continuing he said “ the truth of the matter is that the bulk of all those
that I have seen, there were Moslems, there were Christians, there were
those who professed no particular faith, but were all Nigerians, and one
thing that united them was that they were all poor, and in IDP camps”
Prof. Osinbajo recalled asking Nigerians to stand together against
terrorism and poverty.
He added that “when a bomb goes off in Potiskum or in a market in
Maiduguri or Gombe, it does not ask if you are a Christian or a Muslim, it
does not. It never asks if you are Yoruba or Ibo, or Hausa.”
The Vice President urged religious and political leaders to emphasize only
what unites the people of Nigeria not what divides them. According to him
leaders “must understand that the terrorism is not a contest between
Christians and Muslims, it goes well beyond that. It is our duty not to
pursue narratives that divide us. It is our duty to do everything that
unites us. We must ensure that we don’t create further divisions, but that
we bind together those divisions, that is our duty.”
He lamented that Nigeria has been divided against ethnic and religious
lines for far too long, calling for a time of unity. “That unity is so
crucial, so important. It is all that will make a difference in the next
few years,“ he stated.
One of Nigeria’s major problems, he argued is that “we would play politics
with everything, but the fate of over 110 million extremely poor Nigerians
have not been the central concern of anyone.” He said it is the fate of
those vast majority of Nigerians who are poor that should be our concern
as a people.
He also expressed deepest condolences to the families of Nigerians who
lost their lives in the Mecca stampede tragedy praying that God will
comfort them, and their communities.
Praying that at 55, Nigeria will experience double grace, since number
five stands for grace, the Vice President also wished Nigerians a time of
double favor in their personal lives.