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Nigeria Would Break Up Without Corruption – Oscar Onwudiwe

A Social commentator, Oscar Onwudiwe, on Saturday opined that corruption is what binds Nigeria together, and without it, the country would disintegrate. He made the … Continue reading Nigeria Would Break Up Without Corruption – Oscar Onwudiwe


Oscar OnwudiweA Social commentator, Oscar Onwudiwe, on Saturday opined that corruption is what binds Nigeria together, and without it, the country would disintegrate.

He made the controversial statement while speaking on ‘15 Years of Interrupted Democracy’ In Nigeria, on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise.

Onwudiwe said that Nigerians should be grateful as the country was evolving through democracy, noting that some individuals, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, should be thanked for the transition to democratic rule.

“Things have changed whether we want to accept it or not,” he said.

On holding Government accountable, Onwudiwe blamed Nigerians for not rising up to demand change and ensuring that leaders do what they were elected to do.

He also argued that the value system obtainable in the country was encouraging corruption.

The concern for many Nigerians at the moment is that there is little to celebrate about the Nigerian democracy, especially with the insurgency rocking some parts of the county.

The S.A to the Borno State Governor on Media; Isa Gusau, was also on the programme along with Onwudiwe, and he shared the view that democracy has been great in the country even though there had been challenges. He expects the nation to rise out of its current problems.

Speaking on the forthcoming 2015 elections, Gusau also said that the Government would be bowing to the pressure from the Boko Haram sect if it refused to hold elections in crisis prone-areas, as one of the missions of the terrorist group was to suspend liberal rule.

Gusau, whose state is at the centre of the crisis, stated that the Government must ensure that elections are conducted in all parts of the country, if for nothing else than to prove to the terrorists that they cannot succeed.

He also revealed that that there was a mass movement against the terrorist group in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, giving assurances that there was no resident member of the sect in the State capital.

Making his contribution to the discussion, political analyst, Babatunde Gbadamosi, spoke about the National Conference, amidst concerns about insecurity, and the fact that the growth rates usually published as evidence of performance remain mere statistics that have failed to reflect in the general quality of living.

Gbadamosi was of the view that there is need for the Government to re-negotiate the basis of the nation’s existence, as this would be the best way to achieve peace and true development.