Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has urged Nigerians to make deliberate efforts to forge a shared national identity that transcends ethnic, religious, and cultural loyalties. He spoke on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at The Companion’s 7th National Discourse, themed “Interrogating Nigeria’s Democracy in the Context of Multiple Diversity,” held at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba. Legit.ng attended the programme.
Political System Must Contain Diversity Without Eroding Cohesion
Hamzat explained that Nigeria’s political system must find practical ways to contain its diversity without letting it erode national cohesion. According to him, ethnic and religious identities are deeply embedded in Nigeria’s social and political fabric, and the task is not to erase them but to stop them from being exploited as tools of division. He also called for greater religious tolerance, urging citizens to respect other faiths rather than use religion as grounds for discrimination.
“The question that sociologists have not told us is how we marry our culture and democracy, without losing our identity and putting it into our democratic setting,” Hamzat said. “As Nigerians, we must learn to accommodate our differences while we are also promoting a common national identity. The experience of other multi-ethnic societies showed the dangers of allowing identity and class differences to fuel conflict among us.”
Oshiomhole Attacks Identity Politics and Ethnicity as a Tool
Delivering the keynote address, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, urged Nigerians to reject ethnic and religious politics and to demand leadership based on competence and ideas rather than place of birth or faith. Oshiomhole argued that Nigeria’s diversity is an asset, not a liability, and that a society where citizens are treated fairly regardless of their background will naturally develop. He was particularly critical of political actors who deploy ethnicity as a stand-in for policy.
“Our ethnicity shouldn't be a source of challenge. It should give us all of the things that we need to be the greatest country, not only in Africa but in the world. This ethnicity is very dysfunctional. Nobody should be rewarded or punished on account of an accident of birth,” Oshiomhole said. “Ethnicity has very little or no role to play, except to function as a tool in the hands of a segment of the political elite who substitute ethnicity in place of ideas.”
Shekarau Calls for Religious Tolerance and Deeper Understanding
Chairman of the occasion and former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said there is no justification for religious conflict in Nigeria, arguing that citizens of all faiths are creations of the same God. Senator Shekarau urged Nigerians to study the actual teachings of their religions, noting that Islam, Christianity and other faiths all promote love, kindness, justice and respect. Shekarau also cautioned political leaders against placing personal gain above the welfare of the people they serve.
Other eminent personalities spoke at the event, which drew attention to the need for a more inclusive national discourse. The event also featured a post on X showing attendees at the 2026 National Discourse.
Earlier Debate on Clerics in Politics
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Sheikh Ahmad Gumi came down firmly on one side of a growing debate among Nigerian Muslims, saying there is nothing wrong with religious scholars entering partisan politics. Gumi argued that clerics who choose to engage directly with governance are doing more than those who confine themselves to offering prayers for politicians.
