Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has warned against ethnic profiling, religious bigotry and the promotion of divisive rhetoric particularly by Nigerian elites in the quest for power.
Osinbajo who spoke while delivering a lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau state, said there must be a deliberate policy backed by elite consensus which bars Nigerians from using the nation’s diversity to negatively promote their personal ambitions.
The topic of the lecture which is “Creating a Homeland for All: Nation Building in a Diverse Democracy” is part of the Policy Making and Good Governance Lecture Series initiated by the NIPSS Management which seeks to provide a platform for Executive Course 45 Participants to interface with intellectuals from various backgrounds.
He said Nigeria must prioritize its unity, cohesion and progress by doing away with prejudices that have impeded the nation’s growth.
Osinbajo said the task of changing the situation lies with both the citizens and the Government which is expected to drive reforms and enforce the rule of law at all times.
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong said the Lecture Series is a well conceived idea that addresses the long standing challenge of policy-making and delivery of people-centered governance in Nigeria.
Lalong said President Muhammadu Buhari has in the last 8 years done his best in reviving some of the national policies across all sectors that are at the core of Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
The Governor said one of the key areas his government has focused on is continuity in project implementation which led to the completion of abandoned and inherited projects spanning from the immediate past administration and others before it.
He said rather than jettison such projects because of party differences and other parochial considerations, he insisted on completing them for the interest of the people and in order not to waste public resources.
The Governor however said even though politicians have used this against his administration, he has no regret as he is sure that posterity will judge.
DG NIPSS Prof. Ayo Omotayo said the lecture series is another initiative of the Institute aimed at generating discourse on critical issues such as policy-making and good governance which are key to attaining Nigeria’s national aspirations.
Gbong Gwom Jos Da Jacob Gyang Buba also commended NIPSS for sustaining the culture of research and policy incubation which has been very useful for the nation’s growth.
