Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, has disagreed with Nigerians who believe that the country is more divided than it was before the Buhari-led administration came into power in 2015.
Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode, and many others have come out to say that Nigeria is now more divided than it has ever been.
However speaking on Channels TV this evening, Adesina said even after the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, the country has always remained divided and that the division currently seen across the country did not start with President Buhari. In his words
”Nigeria had always been divided right from amalgamation in 1914. Nigeria is an inconvenient amalgamation but we have kept at it and we have worked at it.
“And I tell you that there is no time in the history of this country that the country was not divided. But then, we have kept at it and we are trying to make it work.
“As at 2015 when President Buhari came, Nigeria was terribly divided; divided along ethnic, religious and political lines; divided along language; divided hopelessly and terribly.”
Criticizing those who peddle the claim that the country is now divided, Adesina said
”You see that a number of people, instead of letting harmony return to this country, thrive and luxuriate in widening the gap between Nigerians. They play politics with everything.
So, if they say Nigeria is divided today, it is because Nigeria has always been divided. And all efforts to unite Nigeria and Nigerians never worked
When Nigerians come to a decision point that we must live together, we can’t wish anybody away, then we will be working towards being a nati
on.”
