Alaafin, Aregbesola to Nigerians: With patriotism, Nigeria will be great again

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has urged Nigerians not to be drowned in the vortex of cynicism, but take their destiny into their hands, and be determined to face the future with confidence, discipline, patriotism and demonstrable honesty.
He said with discipline, hard work, selflessness, patriotism and dedication, the Nigerian ship, which had long been battered severally on the high seas, will safely anchor and be renewed to the surprise of everyone in the world.
Aregbesola stated this while speaking with journalists at
the Government House, Osogbo, shortly after he held a closed door meeting with some prominent traditional rulers led by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111.
The Governor said since security is the first order of a nation,
without it, peace, or law and order, as well as all other functions of the country cannot be effectively carried out.
‘’There can be no national development without relative peace and stability. Since security is the duty of all Nigerians, all of us must have the courage and honesty to get to the root causes of our current
state of insecurity, underpinned by criminality, and
insurgency/terrorism. The present administration has been taken steps
(short and long–term) to consciously respond to current threats by
architectonically designing and building a security system which would
create a stable and relatively peaceful environment, conducive for
national development.’’
The Governor who decline to give details of the meeting held with the
traditional rulers behind closed doors, was particularly delighted
with the visit and concern of the Alaafin towards unity and peace in
the state, as well as continued support to his government.
In his comment, the Alaafin of Oyo cautioned leaders in the country
against manipulating ethnic and religious identities for their selfish
ends.
  Leadership, he stated, is not all about privileges to loot public
treasury or push personal interests to the disadvantage of the public,
but a responsibility, an obligation to demonstrate commitment,
integrity, honesty and decency in handling the affairs of a
heterogeneous groups.
‘’Nigeria’s ethnic, sectional and religious diversities ought to serve
as source of national unity, cohesion and integration. But
unfortunately, this has over the years constituted serious threat to
peace, security and national development because the elites have
always tended to manipulate these identities for their parochial
interests. It should be noted that with a population of over 140
million people, over four hundred ethnic nationalities and adherents
of the two most populous religions in the world (Christianity and
Islam), Nigeria is obviously one of the most diverse countries in the
world’’.
Oba Adeyemi lamented that speeches and utterances of religious,
ethnic, and political leaders before, during and after communal
conflicts clearly show that they do not have patience, understanding,
honesty, maturity and tolerance, which are marks of good leadership.
“Our governments should also be sensitive, fair and just in their decisions and policies. It is wrong for governments, or their
officials to be conflict-generators. Nor should government over-heat
the polity through hurriedly rehearsed and unthought-out policy
decisions, because it suits the interest of a few people either in
government or those who have influence over government. Good
governance entails catering for the interests of the majority while
protecting the interests of the minority’’.
According to him, ‘’since federalism is about how to manage conflicts,
it requires politicians and leaders with skills in effecting
appropriate compromises and conflict resolution. It calls for a
collective sense of patience, accommodation and tolerance’’.
Given the atmosphere of physical insecurity which currently envelops
the country, the paramount ruler stressed the need to take urgent
actions to set up the machinery for the prevention, management and
resolution of conflicts, pointing out that, generally, we tend to
treat security issues very lightly, yet, without adequate security,
nothing else can take place.
Fear, Alaafin asserted, ‘’has been constant in every tension and
confrontation in the country’s polity. Not the physical fear of
violence, not the spiritual fear of retribution, but the psychological
fear of discrimination, of domination. It is the fear of not getting
one’s fair share’’
Oba Adeyemi who also did not disclose nature of the visit to newsmen, however, extolled the virtues of Governor Aregbesola who described as
‘’a mature leader that treats the people of his state with respect and
do not talk down to them’’.
Said he: ‘’The Governor encourages mutual respect even in the context
of vehement disagreements among groups. These are good qualities of
leadership which entails justice, fairness and equity which are
cardinal to the survival of any polity, not to mention a federal
polity’’.