Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has emphasized that no ethnic group should be penalized for past secessionist movements, asserting that every region in Nigeria has, at some point, considered breaking away.
He made this statement on Tuesday while hosting members of the League of Northern Democrats, led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Obasanjo expressed concern over the narrative that Igbo people are excluded from the presidency due to the Biafran secession attempt, calling it nonsensical. “It bleeds my heart when people say because the Igbos had carried out secession, an Igbo man cannot be president of Nigeria. I say what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned secession,” he remarked.
He pointed to regionalism as the core issue dividing Nigerians and stalling national progress, urging citizens to shift their focus from ethnic and regional identities to a collective Nigerian identity. Obasanjo challenged the emphasis on regional leadership, stating, “My being Yoruba should not be an enemy of my being Nigerian.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s global standing, Obasanjo lamented that the country had failed to live up to its early promise. “At independence, the world was talking about Nigeria as the giant not just in Africa but in the sun. We have disappointed ourselves, Africa, the black race, and the world,” he said.
He called for Nigerians to prioritize competence and integrity when selecting leaders, stressing that national unity should take precedence over regional or religious affiliations. “If we do not get the best man for the job, it doesn’t matter where he comes from, we are deceiving ourselves,” Obasanjo concluded.
