Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that Nigeria is a country that is yet to be weaved into a nation.
The former Head of State made the remark while speaking at the ‘2021/2022 School Debate Price Presentation’, organised by the Vision Africa Radio Umuahia, in Abia State.
According to Obasanjo, Nigeria would not make any headway as a country until she grew into nationhood, saying, ”One of the things we need to achieve is nation-building; we have not built a nation yet. We have a country, but we need to build it into a nation”.
Obasanjo further declared that Nigeria would not progress until there is equality, justice and equal stake for everybody.
The former President commended the successful students and schools in the debate competition.
He charged students to give serious attention to the development of their communication skills, submitting that people who lack the skill to communicate their ideas hardly go far in life.
In his address, the President of Vision Africa Radio, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said that the essence of the school debate was “to broaden and sharpen the spoken English language proficiency of our secondary school students and to empower the schools with awards and as well educate and enlighten our teeming audience”.
The former Special Assistant to the President on Privatisation said that 235 schools had so far participated in the competition for 11 years since it started.
Some dignitaries at the event included former Governor of Imo State, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim; former Nigeria Ambassador to South Africa, and the incumbent Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Eme Uche; former boss of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; the Chancellor of Gregory University, Uturu, Prof. Greg Ibe, among a host of others.
The highlight of the event was the cutting of a birthday cake in honour of Obasanjo’s 85th birthday.
