BEVERLY HILLS, August 02, (THEWILL) – The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday stated that individuals accusing the present administration of marginalisation are making such claim in order to get political appointment.
He was reacting to hate speeches that had crept up in different sections of the country, thereby heating up the polity. Also, some prominent citizens have been calling for a restructuring of the country, citing the alleged marginalisation of their section of the country as a reason for the call.
Speaking at a seminar on national unity and stability at the DSS Training School, Bwari, Abuja, the Acting President urged Nigerians to shun all narratives which foment trouble and create divisions, stressing that it was wrong to equate hate speech as freedom of expression.
His words, “It is a false narrative that nations formed the way ours was formed is bound to fail. Term mere geographic expression is not original to Nigeria.
“It is also a false narrative one group is more corrupt than the other. Not so. If you look at a corruption charge sheet, there is unity you find all ethnic and religious groups equally represented in corruption. There’s complete unity in the business of corruption.
“It is also a false narrative that we are better off when ethnic groups are on their own. While different groups have strength we are better united.
“It is also not true that those who make marginalisation charges are altruistic. Often what they are saying is I am marginalised-‘appoint me’.”
Warning that “hate speech precedes tragedies in human history”, Osinbajo called on Nigerians to exercise caution in their utterances and respect each other in their conversations and interactions to foster national unity.
He insisted that the language of exchange in the country must be civil and we must not tolerate a situation where people speak in any way they like.
