Acting President warns that 'hate speech precedes tragedies'

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has called for better unity among Nigerians as he criticised the perception of hate speech in the country as free speech.

While speaking at the Institute for Security Studies' seminar themed: Unity in Diversity, on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, Osinbajo noted that "hate speech precedes tragedies in human history".

The Acting President's comment is a reaction to the spate of separatist talks that's growing louder in the country as several regions are agitating to form new nations.

According to him, this is not the solution to the problems of marginalisation that's fueling the talks as poor leadership is the actual problem.

Osinbajo said, "It is a false narrative that nations formed the way ours was formed is bound to fail.

"It is also a false narrative one group is more corrupt than the other. Not so. If you look at a corruption charge sheet, there is unity you find all ethnic and religious groups equally represented in corruption. There's complete unity in the business of corruption.

"It is also a false narrative that we are better off when ethnic groups are on their own. While different groups have strength we are better united."

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The Acting President further said that the leaders of the marginalisation talks are not doing it for the benefit of the people, but for themselves.

He said, "It is also not true that those who make marginalisation charges are altruistic. Often what they are saying is I am marginalised-'appoint me'."