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Group holds walk to consolidate unity among Nigerians

By Gloria Nwafor
25 May 2023   |   3:37 am
A new group, LoveNaija, has begun moves to bring together Nigerians across the country.

A new group, LoveNaija, has begun moves to bring together Nigerians across the country.

Founder of the group, Ikechukwu Okonweze, who spoke during a unity walk held in Lagos, said it was designed to bring together the multiple tribes and languages in Nigeria into one community.

He said in the last 62 years of Nigeria’s independence as a nation, the country had grappled with several challenges with mutual suspicion and ethnic patriotism that have deprived the country of reason, sense of justice and fairness.

Okonweze said if Nigerians could come to walk and work together in unity with the level of manpower and population, which invariably appears as matter of national urgency, the country has the advantage of being an economic power globally.

His words: “We laugh and hug in public and plot against each other when we retire to our ethno-religious enclaves. Once in a while, this mistrust finds grotesque expression among our people as we witness bloodbaths premeditated by ethno-religious contempt for each other. Basically in all, amenities are lacking. Issues that other nations have long taken care of are still hard for us to crack.”

“Clearly, we are standing up for the issues of love, patriotism, unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria, at a time agitations to reconsider the basis of our existence as a country continue to dominate national discourse.”

He further said that for opportunity and progress to emerge, both citizens and its leaders must partner to reunite towards nation-building in the true spirit of patriotism.

He, therefore, implored Nigerians to come out en-masse and lead the way to promote the ideology of a better future to boost audience participation, promote integrity, encourage truth and accuracy in information sharing and inspire communities to reject violence, especially at the crucial time of national rebirth.

“Our continued existence, as one indivisible entity, very much depends on how we decide to be each others’ keeper. We should consciously refuse to give in to the weight of that which divides us, rather, we should embrace and celebrate our shared experiences, connections and togetherness, which we believe, far outweighs whatever differences we may have.

“This cause should be a deliberate policy for love and unity campaign to ignite and spark the spirit of patriotism to promote religious, tribal and cultural tolerance. To achieve this, we should build more bridges and strengthen our existing relationships.

“Not as Arewa bloodline, or as belonging to Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo community, or as Yoruba Omo Odua family, or the Ijaw Nation, or Ibibio, Efik, Kanuri, Edo, Fulfude, Tiv or any other tribal language.”

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