“No Section of Nigeria Hasn’t Planned Secession” – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that every region in Nigeria has, at one point, entertained the idea of secession, urging that no ethnic group should be singled out or punished for such tendencies.

Speaking on Tuesday during a meeting with members of the League of Northern Democrats, led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, Obasanjo made this remark at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Obasanjo expressed dismay over the narrative that Igbos should be denied leadership roles due to the region’s historical secession attempt during the Nigerian Civil War. “It bleeds my heart when people say because the Igbos had carried out secession, an Igbo man cannot be the president of Nigeria. I say, what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned secession,” he asserted.

The former president highlighted regionalism as Nigeria’s core issue, emphasizing that it has exacerbated divisions and stunted the nation’s development. He called for a shift in focus from ethnic identity to national unity.

“Why should my being a proud Yoruba man get in the way of my being Nigerian? I could have been born in Sokoto or Maiduguri, and I would still be a Nigerian. My being Yoruba should not be an enemy of my being Nigerian,” he said.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s diminishing global influence, Obasanjo lamented the nation’s lost potential. “At independence, the world spoke of Nigeria as a giant not just in Africa but in the sun. We have disappointed ourselves, Africa, the black race, and the world,” he noted.

Obasanjo urged Nigerians to prioritize competence and integrity over regional and religious considerations when choosing leaders. “If we do not get the best man for the job, it doesn’t matter where he comes from, we are deceiving ourselves,” he concluded.