Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has urged Nigerians to resist attempt by political leaders to use religion and other ethnic considerations to divide the country to achieve their personal goals.

Okorocha gave the advice in a message he sent through his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, on the forthcoming celebration of Nigeria at 54.

He called on Nigerians to continue to believe in the unity of the country and resist any attempts to divide the country.

“At 54, the emphasis should have been on the things that would unite us as a people and as a nation and not on those things that would rather polarise the country along religious and ethnic lines,” he said.

Okorocha regretted that at 54, the issue of religion was still eating deep into the fabric of the nation’s oneness, while “the area one comes from has continued to take a toll on the country’s politics.”

He reminded the political class that posterity would judge them if they continued to fan the embers of religious and ethnic differences for their selfish gains.

He regretted that the Boko Haram insurgence, that had claimed lives of innocent Nigerians, would have been nipped in the bud.

According to him, if the leaders of the country have detached the insurgence from politics and confronted it as a national challenge or problem when it came up, it would have been nipped in the bud.

The governor enjoined the political class to be patriotic enough by acting and talking in manners that would promote and encourage unity, peace and love among the citizenry.

He said doing so, would mean encouraging the growth and development of the country.

“At 54, Nigerians should be expected to elect their leaders not on the basis of religion or tribe, but on the basis of having the capacity to offer the nation strong and visionary leadership for progress,” Okorocha said