According to the report from the Sun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Mike Ozekhome emphasized the importance of respecting the diverse ethnic groups and languages that make up the nation.
He argued that each of the 374 ethnic groups identified by Professor Onigu Otite should have a place and be respected in their respective regions.
Ozekhome also condemned divisive rhetoric, citing a past statement by former President Buhari that dismissed the Igbo ethnic group as a “dot in a cycle.”
Expressing concern for the implications of such remarks on minority groups, Ozekhome questioned the status of smaller ethnic communities like his own, hailing from Ijukwe in Edo State.
According to Mike Ozekhome, “I’m not saying every Nigerian should not be the same person. In fact, I’ve always had argued and I’m on record to say that that of Professor Onigu Otite’s 374 ethnic groups in Nigeria, through a demographic survey that speak over 380 languages, each of them must have the place and be respected in where he comes from.
But when we want to rough or ruffle it over others, for example, a former President, Buhari called a whole ethnic group, one of the three largest ethnic groups, the Igbos, South East a dot in a cycle, what will you call me, a minority within a minority from Ijukwe, near Agenegbude, Isako-East local government of Edo State, what are you going to call me?”
