Nigeria’s Cultural Diversity, Tool for Prosperity, Peace, Development – Obi

The Vice-Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has explained that the cultural diversity, for which Nigeria is known, should serve as a tool for economic progress and peaceful co-existence rather than an instrument of division.

Obi made this known in his message to mark the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. He said that a nation like Nigeria, inhabited by a large variety of ethnic groups with diverse cultures and about 250 languages as well as a lot of human and natural resources, should be a prosperous and powerful nation if there were round pegs in round holes in leadership. He stated that Nigeria’s cultural diversity should serve as a source of exchange, innovation and creativity which will ultimately translate to a more prosperous and united Nigeria.

Relating Nigeria’s diversity to the urgent need for support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Obi stated that a strong MSME sector in a culturally diverse country like Nigeria, will encourage the exchange of innovative ideas from diverse sources and thus spontaneously turn around the economy of the nation.

“I have always supported and made a case for a vibrant small business sector which has been employed by nations like India and Indonesia to turn their economies around. India, with a population of 1.3 billion people and about 1,652 languages, remains one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with a GDP of US$ 2.71 trillion in 2020. India’s economy which is driven by a strong small business sector, is expected to create 1.1 million direct jobs, according to the Nasscom-Zinnov report ‘Indian Tech Start-up’.

“Indonesia, with a population of over 270 million people and about 300 ethnic groups, has the largest economy in Southeast Asia and is one of the emerging market economies of the world. Indonesia’s GDP stood at US$1.15 trillion in 2020. Based on data published by Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs of the Republic of Indonesia, there were 64,194,057 SMEs in 2018, which made up 99.99% of the total business population and employed more than 116 million people in the country.

“These are nations more culturally diverse than Nigeria, but they have been able to effectively harness their diversity through exchange of ideas and innovations to build up their economy and remain united as properous nations”, Obi elucidated.

He expressed the belief that if Nigerians would surmount their cultural differences, religious intolerance and ethnic bias and work together for the common good, especially in the process of choice of leadership, Nigeria will be a great and prosperous nation with good standard of living for everyone.

The International Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is celebrated on May 21 every year.