President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday affirmed that he believes in the unity of the country.
Jonathan averred that he would never be a part of any action that can split the entity called Nigeria.
The president admitted that Nigeria would have been a history if he had failed to accept the outcome of the March 28 presidential election.
He said he had no regrets conceding defeat because Nigerians still have a country to call their own after the elections.
Jonathan made this clarification while receiving members of the Universal Peace Foundation, who were in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to confer on him an award of Peace-Loving Global Citizen.
Speaking at the event, a visibly elated President said, “Everybody knew about the predictions (that Nigeria will cease to exist by 2015). Anything could have made those predictions become true. After all, we fought a civil war for about three years before as a nation.
“We have our challenges, the idea of that National Conference is to look at these weak cleavages we have in this country.
“We just finished that conference and were thinking of how to implement its recommendations so that Nigeria will become a stronger and more united nation.
“I cannot be a party to the disintegration of the country. I am quite pleased with what has happened. We have a country, the country will be more united.
“We only pray that the incoming government should appreciate the contributions of everybody and see how we can run Nigeria as a country that belongs to everybody: all citizens, irrespective of political affiliations or creeds.”
Jonathan said Vice President Namadi Sambo, who was his running mate during the election should also be part of the glory.
He noted that if he had won the election, Sambo too would have remained in office.
The President said by that singular act, the two of them would be packing out of their offices on Friday.
He said it was one thing to hold office, and it was another thing to be happy and be satisfied with one’s conscience.
“Yes, there are different human beings. If you look at the behaviours of people, even among siblings, some of them could turn to be imams and pastors, while some will be armed robbers.
“Even somebody that has that kind of criminal intention or he is very vindictive or who by nature does not care if people are dying, even if half of his countrymen and women die for him to be a President, he will celebrate it.
“But for me, God did not create me that way and I cannot fit in. I believe that for us to hold any office that we want to, we must have a nation,” he added.
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