National unity: Veteran cartoonist tells Nigerians to shun ethnicity

Mr Jossy Ajiboye, a seasoned cartoonist and visual artist, on Thursday urged Nigerians to desist from ethnicity and religious bigotry for the country to achieve national unity and progress.

Ajiboye in Lagos said that the acts had eaten deep into the fabrics of every Nigerian.

These had accounted for the slow pace at which the nation was developing, he said.

Ajiboye said that the vice had, over the years, militated against good governance and undermined the development of the nation at local, state and national levels.

“To achieve remarkable milestones as individuals and as a nation, we must consciously shun all forms of ethnicity and religious bigotry.

“We are where we are today because we want to be identified either as a Muslim or a Christian, a Yoruba or a Hausa man; all these will continue to divide us as a nation.

“We should, rather, prefer to uphold our nationality as Nigerians; the Americans will always refer to themselves as “Americans” not belonging to a specific tribe.

“Our unity and progress depend on our being truthful to one another, neglecting ethnic and religious bigotry in all our dealings,” he said.

Ajiboye said that Nigerians, most especially, the politicians should study the success stories of the Asian Tigers comprising East-Asian countries of South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

He said individuals in those countries were preoccupied with solely improving on their economies and upholding their nationalities.

He said that those Asians never focused on favouritism based on religion, politics and tribe.

“The Asian Tigers were able to groom their economies because they had no regard for ethnicity and religious bigotry.

“We should emulate such to achieve national unity and development,” he said.