Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the future Nigerian President, to construct a nation for all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or politics.
Kenyatta charged in his keynote address at the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) Inaugural lecture in Abuja on Saturday.
Kenyatta spoke on the theme “Deepening Democracy for Inclusion and Development” and listed negative ethnicity, religious prejudice, and corruption as threats to national peace.
Kenyatta added that authorities promote this for political gain.
Kenyatta emphasised that elections divide people, but leadership unites them. He advised Tinubu to listen to opposing viewpoints and reach out to the aggrieved to build a stronger nation.
His words: “The contest is done, and the hard job of constructing a thriving and unified Nigeria now begins.
“As President, you should rise above election politics and become Nigeria’s visionary.
This will require a comprehensive revision of the antagonistic mindset politicians are conditioned to adopt during elections.
“As President, you must immediately learn to lead those who love you and those who don’t with equal passion and commitment since you are now the father of everyone.
“Your Excellency, during elections, people and politicians are more divided than ever and boxed into their sectarian and party interests. When you are the head of state and command the country’s military forces, you represent the country’s diverse ethnic groups and religions and symbolise unification. You represent Nigeria.
“I encourage you to surround yourself with views that will counterbalance the hardliners that feel entitled to a piece of your office; you will lose nothing and gain everything by reaching out across political, ethnic, and religious lines.
Please let people who feel offended by your triumph exhale and join your vision for a better Nigeria.
I pray that the lessons from across the continent will give you the strength to overcome those three foes.
Negative ethnicity, religious prejudice, and corruption are the three adversaries of nationhood. As your fellow African, I look forward to a Nigeria that emerges from this transition, ready to flex and fight for its proper place on the global stage with both hands.”
