Guardian / Nigeria: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Warri, Delta State said Nigeria is stronger as a united country and that those agitating for dismemberment of the country were misguided and uninformed.
Obasanjo equally lent his voice to the restructuring debate in the polity saying that what Nigeria needed was restructuring of the mind of the people and good governance. He argued that Nigeria was okay the way it is structured.
“I used to say that there is nothing wrong with Nigeria but with Nigerians. We need to speak up. If we say Nigeria is not working or things are not good enough, we must offer what is good enough.
“Certainly dismemberment of Nigeria is not good enough,” he said.
Obasanjo was a guest of Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited on an inspection the firm’s state-of-the-art fabrication yard at Ekpan where oil-related equipment and parts are locally fabricated.
He was conducted round the firm’s facilities by the Acting governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, the Managing Director of Lee Engineering, Chief Leemon Ikpea, and other eminent personalities.
The former President also paid courtesy visits to the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom and the Olu of Warri where he spoke at length on the problems of Nigeria and the way out.
Obasanjo said: “For me, for any group of people to say that the only solution to the problems of the country is the dismemberment of the country, I disagree. I believe we can solve all our problems through dialogue and understanding.
“I participated in a civil war and I said I will never take part in another war. It was bloody and devastating. Most of the people clamouring for war don’t know what war is. Those who have seen the devastation and mindless killings in war will never want to see war again.
“I believe the answer to most of our problems is mind searching, if we need any restructuring it is our mindset and mentality that should be restructured.
“How would anybody think that the solution to our problems is separation? If we have problems we must find ways to resolve them. The diversity of Nigeria makes it unique and strong. The beauty of Nigeria is in our diversity,” he said.
Obasanjo said the solution to Nigeria’s problems was instituting good governance, justice, understanding and equity, which would give alleged marginalised federating units a sense of belonging.
