President Muhammadu Buhari has warned politicians not to plunge the country into another civil war.
The president’s warning was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
Buhari spoke on the verge of ethnic and religious divisions in the country, for which his administration has received scathing remarks.
Keen watchers of his government say the country has been more divided under him, pointing to some of his divisive policies, including his government’s promotion and leaning towards a certain ethnic group in the country.
Since he swept to power in 2015, the rate of self determination groups has scaled up from across the country, fueling fear of another civil war.
But speaking on Tuesday, the president said the cost of another civil war will be too much for the country to bear.
Buhari spoke while receiving former State Chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC at the presidential villa, Abuja.
He said selfishness led to the first civil war between 1967-1970, which led to loss of many lives, adding that a repeat of such will not augur well for the country.
The president who fought in the civil war said many Nigerians paid the supreme price for the country to remain one and “God willing we remain Nigerians and Nigeria will remain one.
“Our main objective is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are human beings. We have our weaknesses, but I can assure you that the patriotism in us is hard-earned. We have gone through all the troubles from the 15th of January 1966 to date.
“You know what I mean by this, we have killed a million of ourselves in order to keep this country together.”
He urged CPC members to always work to foster unity and progress of the country, thanking them for their support for his administration and promotion of democratic ideals.
I accord great significance to this visit as it demonstrates a determination and commitment to identify with our administration.
“This visit recalls the solidarity with the successes that we have recorded in critical areas of our society. The visit also affords us the opportunity to discuss other issues of interest to the forum.
He said “I commend members of this forum and all members of the legacy party-CPC, for their continued dedication to the ideals of democratic governance that we all believed in.
“The doggedness with which we pursued our vision and goals that culminated into the success we recorded remain like bright stars in the history of our dear nation.”
The Chairman of the Forum and former Chairman of the party in Niger State, Umar Shuaibu, assured the president of their continued support, adding that the party had maintained all its structures across the country.
Shuaibu said the CPC will support any candidate backed by Buhari for next year’s presidential election.
