TheCable

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), says the country is not united because it has foundational problems that need addressing.

Sowore spoke on Sunday at a town hall series for presidential candidates organised by ARISE TV and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

The AAC presidential candidate said Nigeria did not have a right foundation from the period it got its independence in 1960.

“We have foundational problems, which we finished discussing — those things that divided us,” he said.

“This is a country put together by outsiders. It is not as if this is the only country put together by outsiders, but our own case is peculiar. Our name, flag, everything about us is lazy.

“We never got it right from the beginning. What is going to unite Nigeria is to solve the foundational problems — it is constitutional. They (citizens) must find identity in that document (constitution); they must know where they belong.

“They must have a right, as a matter of right, to exit if they find it to be a bad marriage. You can’t force people together by creating ministries.

“Do you want to unite Nigerians, do justice to the people of Nigeria? The reason I say so is that I lived abroad for 20 years and there was no day I was asked if I was an American or not because I got my cheque; I got paid.

“I was treated better as a black person in America than I’m treated in Nigeria governed by a black person.”

Sowore added that women must rise to take their place in governance.