BY : AYO ESAN
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ibiyinka Olabode George at the weekend vowed that he would continue to work for the unity of Nigeria.
George who was speaking while receiving an award of Garukuwan Matasan Najeriya (National Leadership Award) from the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria also charged the younger generation to strive towards uniting the country.
He said the youth can make a headway in the quest of uniting the country.
According to him, the older generation made the “small mistake” of trying to be honest with each other in a bid to unite the country.
He said, “I want to appeal to the younger generation. We, the older ones, have made small mistake and that is the mistake of trying to be honest with ourselves and unite this country. We have not succeeded. “But I plead with you, you can succeed. There are no differences. Yes there are cultural differences but who chose where he is to be born? God decided where you would be born. You don’t know where you will go in the next round, you can’t determine that.”
He said every Nigerian irrespective of tribal, ethnic or religious differences must work together.
His words : “We must work together. I don’t see differences. In fact my great grand Uncle, Baba Herbert Macaulay was struggling to unite this country against the British. He died in 1946 when he returned by train from Kano. He had gone there lobbying people to come together. So it just didn’t start today.
“There is hardly any state in this country that I have not been to. Let’s build a nation, let us build an edifice, let us build an economic empire that all the youths of this country would come and enjoy in the future, no generation can finish it. But if you keep dividing this one, dividing that, one day you would pack up. Will you still keep on dividing when you are away?
On the award conferred on him, George said it came to him as a surprise as he knew little about the organization.
He however dedicated the award to all Nigerian youths and urged them to “key into what can unite us and discountenance all those rubbish that can divide us.” General Gowon tried it with the National Youth Service Corps. A human being is a human being whether you are Chinese or American, you are black, you are white or yellow. But let us work together in this country. We should shun those divisive statements and pronouncements and embrace peace and unity.
