Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo stressed the need to ensure fairness, justice and equity amongst all segments, ethnicity and religious groups in Nigeria
Prof. Osinbajo was speaking at a town hall meeting organized by the Ken Nnamani centre for Leadership and Development at the National War Museum Umuahia to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigerian civil war. He appealed to elders in the society to refrain from poisoning the minds of the younger generations in achieving unity of among the people. Vice President Osinbajo said that the greatest tribute that Nigerians owe to the memory of those that gave their lives for the nation was to always ensure that the circumstances that led to the Nigerian civil war were never brought back.
Prof. Osinbajo disclosed that one of the challenges of the country was the creation of opportunities for the youths to contribute their quota. He described the youths as energetic and dynamic. The Vice President lauded the South East for being home for Nigeria’s most entrepreneurs and assured that the Federal government was commited to providing Nigerian youths with tools and resources that would enable contribute to the economic development of the nation.
Speaking also, the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu appealed to the Federal government to accord special consideration to areas that suffered serious bombardment in the State and South East zone during the Nigeria Biafra war.
Governor Ikpeazu made a case for a national narrative where events of the war would be reviewed to chart a way forward for national unity. He equally said that Nigerians need to know how and where their problems started so as to know how to heal the scars and relics the war left in their hearts. He commended the Ken Nnamani Leadership and Development Centre for organizing the meeting.
In his remarks, the host and Chairman Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development, Senator Ken Nnamani said that the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Civil War is a highly significant milestone in the life of Nigeria as a nation. According to him, it is an occasion for reflection, where Nigeria leaders and citizens would reflect on the civil war and its legacy while charting a course for the common future of Nigeria.
He explained that the exhibitions in the museum, venue of the occasion were meant “to provoke us to contemplate the horrors of violence, to entrench a recognition that wars are never the solutions to our differences and to inspire a commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts.”
He noted that “We have not yet built the kind of country that we aspire to have. We have started the project but we still have a long way to go.” adding that “If we are to successfully complete our national project, it is crucial that we adequately remember and reflect upon the most important milestones on our road.
