Religion, Ethnicity Making Nigeria Weak, Ganduje Cries Out
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State said religion, ethnicity and tribal sentiments are making the country weak.
He said these factors were responsible for the low national integration in the country which is a contrast to what Nigeria used to some years before now.
The Governor made this known while hosting members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors to a dinner and induction ceremony of new members of the guild on Tuesday night at the government house.
He said that the diverse nature of Nigeria should be a great advantage to the country and argued that the nation will have more problems to contend with if the the country had one tribe, one religion and one culture. He called on the media to help build a strong, united Nigeria.
Said he: “The level of National integration in Nigeria is getting low and low. I think as members of the press, you have to do a lot.
“And religious sentiment, tribal sentiment and ethnicity, all these things put together are making Nigeria weak and weaker. There is no doubt we have differences but we fail to maximize and take advantage of our difference and that is very important. The difference we are having are advantage in a way, living in homogeneous society.
“If all Nigerians are of one tribe, one religion, one culture, we would have more problems because the problems will be inherent problems. But take the advantage of diversity, every ethnic nationality must have some inherent traits that if properly harnessed will promote national development.
“That is why American is growing. Look at their history. They succeeded in harnessing their differences.
“Members of the media, you must hold it that Nigeria must be one. Be convinced that Nigeria must be one. And any elements of deviations by members of the society must not be allowed to grow. We know leaders can be faulty, they are indispensable but whether they are good or bad, there must be leaders because there can’t be vacuum,” Governor Ganduje said while urging Nigerians to understand that nobody is perfect.
In his remarks, the former Governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba commended the Governor for transforming the state into a modern city, noting that some facilities he saw abroad were now being replicated in the state.
“When I was in London hospital, there was an area that when you seat down there you won’t want to die and I didn’t die. And so the government made the cancer centre roof a concrete area where the cancer patients can relax. We saw similar infrastructure during the tour here in Kano.
The hospitals are well equipped. Same with the Pediatrics hospital where you children in the incubators, special incubators. The governor here is working, he is serving the people. We have a cliche in journalism – facts are sacred … What I’m saying about the administration of Ganduje are factual, they are there for all to see. The governor has so performed that we hope he serves Nigeria at higher level,” he said among other tributes he paid to Ganduje. Osoba, himself an icon in the journalism profession was highly commended by all for always identifying with the media industry. He was the chairman of the 2021 convention and he stayed throughout the three day event, staying in the same hotel with the journalists, eating in the same restaurant with them and generally fraternizing more with the people he proudly called ‘younger colleagues.’
Earlier, the President of the Guild of Editors, NGE, Mustapha Isa commended the Governor for his giant strides in the state, ranging from infrastructure, health, education, road network and skill acquisition center among others.
