Nigeria’s 1st Republic Ambassador, Ambr. Yahaya Kwande, has called on the present Nigeria’s political class in the country to re-examine the problem of ethnic differences and elect competent leaders who have national and not individualistic interests for us to forge ahead.
He made the call recently while on a live progamme, “Tuesday Live” of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) baring his mind on some national issues on the topic: “Politics Without Bitterness.” He was a guest with elder statesmen like Alh. Tanko Yakase and Oba Samuel Olukemi Falaye.
The Ambassador said, “I want to call on Nigerians especially the political class to throw away their differences and re-examine this problem of ethnic sentiments and elect leaders who are selfless for us to forge ahead as a people and as a country.
“This categorization of ethnic groups (Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) as the major tribes in Nigeria must be re-examined. Who told you that it is only the Hausa/Fulanis that are in the North? Who also told you that only the Igbo speaking people live in the land and so also the Yorubas?
“We have other tribes in all the three political language extractions and should be considered as such to address this ethnic sentiment when zoning the seat of a President so that we will have equal representation and not to be restricted to the three major tribes”, he enthused.
Kwande added that there were competent and selfless individuals in all the 6 geopolitical zones who are not greedy and have national interest that could move Nigeria to greatness, but pundits would not allow it. That was why Nigeria could not achieve politics without bitterness.
On his part, elder statesman, Alh. Tanko Yakase, said, Nigerians should de- monetize politics and concentrate on national interest and not individual interest or one day, we would not have a country called Nigeria again. This is because the politicians have commercialized politics and it has become a moneymaking venture.
Also, former presidential candidate in 1999 general elections, Chief (Oba) Samuel Olukemi Falaye, called for the restructuring of presidential system of government. He is suggesting a situation where senators would be visitors at meetings so that political positions in Nigeria would be less attractive.
