...Use tribe, religion to win elections
BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU
Nigeria is degenerating to her lowest nationhood base because tribesmen who think of selves rather than the country, and rely on tribal and religious sentiments to win elections are in power.
Making this declaration during the Rochas Okorocha@59 meet the press, at the FCT NUJ Secretariat, Abuja on Monday, the former governor of Imo State, Senator Okorocha said the Nigerian nation is suffering from lack of patriotism among rulers of the country.
Sen. Okorocha argued that the Nigerian nation had all it takes to compete with the developed countries of the world but the one thing that was lacking was patriotism for quality governance.
He said, “All categories of human beings are available in Nigeria. There are the stock of the ‘iberiberised’ who constitute about 70 per cent of the population, there are the tribesmen and then the patriots.
“The first category only complain always against the government and everybody but have nothing to contribute.
“They are selfish people who have this I don’t care attitude about what is happening in the country and are found in all strata.
“The tribesmen hold the country by the jogular, use tribalism and religion to win elections without any meaningful development from their rulership.
“They are good at spreading false news to disunite the country when they are not in power or use religious and tribal fallacies to woo citizens to support their evil while in power.
“Once there are issues in the country the first coming from them even as rulers is accusing one tribe or the other. They are quick to condemn other tribes and exenorate their own tribes.
“Then there are the patriots who are not up to five per cent of the entire population.
“They think, eat sleep Nigeria but in most cases they are not heard because these tribesmen are everywhere deceiving citizens with their tribal and religious sentiments with which they keep them in perpetual poverty.”
The former governor argued that nothing was wrong with Nigeria as a country but the mismanagement of her resources by the unpatriotic tribesmen in power.
He maintained that national spirit was lacking in Nigeria saying that presence of patriotism would elevate every citizen both low and high to love the country, be patriotic and think of what to offer to the country not what the country would offer to him or her.
