2023 elections divided Nigerians along ethnic, religious lines - Babachir

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF), Babachir Lawal is of the believe that the 2023 general election has divided Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, on Thursday, Lawal noted that unless Northerners put their tribal and religious differences aside and unite with one another, it would be difficult for them to have any political benefit.

“Now in the North, things have deteriorated completely. Those who dragged us into this situation, could not achieve their goal."

“We’ve returned to the previous days, the Yoruba are on their own. The Igbo are on their own and we Northerners are divided between Christians and Muslims. Even among us Christians, there are tribes, maybe the Tiv are here, Idoma, Kilba are there. There is Michika here. This is what we’ve been trying to avoid. We’ve been divided, how are we now going to achieve unity? It’s not possible now.”

“How can we come together when we have slaughtered our own and now we want to stitch it together? No way.

Who is there now in the North that can call for a meeting of elders from the region, to deliberate and unite? There is none. I can see there were groups that were trying to meet and unite, but you will find that they are mainly a group of Muslims or a group of Christians,” he said.

Lawal further said;

"Now we just sit down and look. What we predicted, has happened and we’ve seen it. It won’t be nice to say ” I have told you”. But people are stubborn and don’t see what’s disturbing them. They see fire burning yet they run to it. That’s their problem. Hardship has come."

The former SGF called out the CBN over their policy to permit certain products to be imported into Nigeria including rice. He stated that this move does not seat well with Nigerian farmers.

He added that the market in Mubi, Adamawa state has been flooded with foreign rice and these has left many who invested and cultivated rice in Nigeria struggling to make any profit.