Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the nation’s unity is questionable.
He observed that the youths in the country prefer to identify with regional affiliations than a national body.
He said this during a command performance by the Commonwealth Community Choir tagged ‘Peace for All Nations’ at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, on Friday, Punch reports.
He said, “I was discussing with somebody, and I said ‘look, in Nigeria, the youths appear not even to have a national youth body, because in most cases, the regional youth bodies are stronger than the national youth body.
“Ordinarily, the national youth body is supposed to be stronger than the regional youth body. If you go to my state, Bayelsa State for example, if I am a national member of the Nigerian Youth Council, the IYC, Ijaw Youth Council, feels that they are your boss.
“If you go to the Southwest and the North, the Arewa Youth Group feel they are superior to the national youth body.
“If you go to the Southwest, the same thing. If you go to the Southeast, the same thing. That shows clearly that as a nation, we are in trouble. The unity of the country is questionable.”
Commenting on the event, Jonathan further said, “So, when you see young people come together to perform with the theme: ‘Peace for All Nations,’ I am quite impressed.”
Asked to comment on the way forward regarding the insecurity plaguing the country, Jonathan said Nigeria was not the only nation affected by insecurity, adding that the whole world was facing insecurity because of the excesses of terrorists.
He said the Nigerian situation was somehow unique as the country feels it every day, even as he said he believed the government was doing its best.
“I was there before and of course, you know there was a lot of insecurity. So, I am the very wrong person to make comments on the insecurity in the land.
“All that we can do is to support the government collectively, encourage the soldiers and other security operatives to do more for our safety,” Jonathan stated.
Also speaking, Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, said nothing could be more important than peace.
Osinbajo, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Religious Matters, Pastor Seyi Malomo, further said peace in the society is one of the invincible cement that makes everything to work.
“If you remove that peace, everything will somehow collapse. So, peace cannot be coming at a more appropriate time when we are in the season of celebrating our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who the Bible says is the Prince of Peace,” Osinbajo said.