Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday blamed the worsening insecurity in the country on Nigeria elite class.
The Vice President insisted that the activities of the elites which promote ethnicity and regionalism is fueling insecurity in Nigeria.
Osinbajo was speaking at the LEADERP Conference and Awards ceremony held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja with the theme: National and Regional Insecurity: The Role of Political And Non-Political Actors In Stabilization And Concensus Building,”.
The Vice President said elites’ criticism of the activities of government without consideration is leading to insurrection and insurgency and joined other speakers in extolling the founder of LEADERSHIP Media Group, Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, who died on 11 December 2020.
He wavered that insecurity in every part of the country will be addressed if the elites and other Nigerians return to a concensus.
While attributing the rising insecurity in Nigeria to man-made, added that the elites have been irresponsible when it comes to addressing the scourge of insecurity.
He said: “Some of the elites can’t come to consensus when it comes to insecurity,” the Vice President said adding that most of the elites who are promoting ethnic agenda depend on dubious activities in promoting regional and ethnic card.
“The elites use that to acquire more for themselves,” Osinbajo said adding, “The chief weakness that we have is the human one.
Our political, economic and religious elites that are so far to be social irresponsible either by selfish interest or lack of self awareness and unable to build the social and political consensus upon which a just and orderly society can start.
“And because government must form some consensus, the elites use to paint them dubious one. They promote tribal and religious frontline for legitimacy.
“And I don’t speak of ethnic or religious maginalization which is another elites dog whisper acquire more for themselves in the contrast of political good. I speak of the division between the have not the have no hope and the have who seems to have it all.
“So the attacks received on law and order are themselves symptomatic and they are driven by emerging critics of the fabric of order itself.
“This critics are manifesting as insurrection and insurgencies along various aspect of our identity,” Osinbajo said.
Speaking on the activities of secessionist group, the Vice President advised young Nigerians agitating for separation to think twice and warned that secession will only lead Nigeria to extinction.
“We must be prepared to tell our constituency the truth, even if it means or it hurts our political fortune or our popularity.”
“We must be able to say it to our young men and women who for example say that secession is the only way out. We must be able to say to them that that is a way of extinction not development,” he said.
