A pro-national movement, North-South Progressive Movement (NOSOP), has named the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, presidential candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Vice presidential candidate of PDP, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state as national patrons.
The organisation which made this known at the 2023 1st national meeting held in Enugu, Wednesday, also named Senator Godswill Akpabio, former governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu state; Arch Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of the Enugu Anglican Ecclesiastical Province as well as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Nsukka, Prof. Godfrey Onah, among others as their national patrons.
Speaking on the theme of the meeting captioned, “Promoting Nigerians and Inspiring Faith in One Nigeria,” the national coordinator, Chief John Nwobodo, said a united, one Nigeria was possible in spite of ethnic and religious differences that characterised Nigeria at the moment.
“Nigeria is a continuing possibility despite the inundating factors which often beset genuine efforts at inspiring faith in one Nigeria. Furthermore, with members coming from all parts of Nigeria confirms our resolve to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, as enunciated in the preamble to the Nigerian Constitution.
“Against the backdrop of pessimism about one Nigeria by many of our countrymen and women, we feel a burning duty to stand in the gap and be the shining light as agents of unity and poised to quell and quench the voices of dissents,” Nwobodo posited.
Nwobodo said, “Nigeria has come of age; reckoned from the amalgamation in 1914, we are in our 109th year. We have passed many phases in our evolution as a country: colonial rule, independence era, the first republic, the Military take-over and coups, a 30-month old civil war, the second republic, the aborted third republic and now, the fourth republic.
“We have seen ups and downs, the good, the bad, and the ugly but in all we are more than conquerors. It is my conviction that since we have remained together till now that we are destined to co-exist and we must do all we can to make the co-existence peaceful and fulfilling. It is indeed not a task that can be achieved overnight. For this purpose, NOSOP was formed,” he explained.
The national coordinator said that NOSOP was formed in early 2020 as a pan Nigerian, detribalised and non-partisan association of patriots with promotion of peace and unity as its core objectives, noting that the objective was expressed in two out of their 4-point creed to wit:
“We believe that we can break the walls of ethnicity and religious bigotry which have held us backward as a nation; “We believe that North or South, we are brothers and we are friends.”
Nwobodo also noted that no matter whatever that causes disunity among Nigerians, they were not insurmountable, hence they formed the association to bring all Nigerians into one umbrella of unity and progress.
He, however, acknowledged the Nigerian diversities but pointed out that they should not be allowed to be stumbling blocks to unity.
“It follows that though we might have loyalty to our various tribes, ethnic, sectional or religious groups, such loyalty should not override our loyalty to our country,” he said.
He, nonetheless, regretted that the recent electioneering campaigns and the general election tested Nigerians’ loyalty.
“For most Nigerians, their loyalty to Nigeria was overshadowed by their loyalty to tribe and religion. The election was fought on the fault lines of religion and ethnicity and since the elections the acrimony generated thereby has remained. Ethnic profiling was rife in some part of the country; a dangerous trend as never before witnessed. It left us with both a bitter and a sour taste.”
