Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has cautioned against another civil war, noting that the country may experience big conflict if the elites failed to speak up the truth and tell the truth to their immediate communities.
Addressing a forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) organized by Anambra governorship aspirants and party patriots at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Wednesday, Osinbajo said everyone will suffer should there occur another civil war in the nation.
The VP insists that elites must speak up against disunity, adding that their silence will only enable the enemies of peace and those who want to promote disunity to have their ways.
He said: “The thing about the kind of conflict in this part of the world, developing countries, is that it is usually a war without end.
“Everyone who thinks he has some monies stored up somewhere will eventually run out of money.
“Everyone who thinks he can go and hide somewhere, won`t even find a place to hide, in the end, everyone will suffer.
“Even if you don’t suffer, parents, children, young and old people, and relations will suffer. We cannot afford another civil war in this country, we can`t afford it,” he said.
Osinbajo, however, prayed that Nigeria will never know conflict, reiterating that political elites must rise up to the challenge by speaking the truth and taking actions in the interest of the general public to address the situation in the country.
He added: “I pray that our country will never know conflict, but I know that every conflict is as a result of elite failure to speak up the truth and tell the truth to their communities.
“At the end of the day, it is the political elite that determines what happens in every society, keeping quiet could lead to a more dangerous situation,” he said.
“If we don`t speak up against disunity, if we keep quiet and remain under the radar, the enemies of peace and those who want to promote disunity will have their ways.
“And when this happens, we will find ourselves running helter-skelter,’’ Osinbajo said.
Osinbajo assured the APC aspirants that the leadership of the party would ensure a level-playing field for them at the primary election slated for June to ensure that the best aspirant emerged as the candidate.
He charged them to work in unity and commitment to the party. “No one politician can win an election all by himself. I also want to advise you against the winner takes all syndrome,” the VP reiterated.
Meanwhile, Governor Nasir-El-Eufai of Kaduna State has alleged that bandits in the state are trying to blackmail the state government with the killings of students.
AFNews reports that El-Rufai stated this in a statement delivered to newsmen by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye.
