Lagos State Deputy Governor Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole and former Kano State governor Shekarau have called on Nigerians to build a stronger national identity across ethnic, religious and cultural lines. Their appeal, reported on 23 August 2026, urged citizens to reject ethnicity and religious bigotry as forces of division.
Hamzat said ethnic and religious identities remain deeply embedded in Nigeria’s social and political life. He argued that the challenge was not to remove those identities, but to prevent them from being turned into instruments that separate Nigerians.
The position presented national identity and community identity as capable of existing together. Rather than asking Nigerians to abandon their ethnic, cultural or religious affiliations, the leaders called for deliberate efforts to develop a broader sense of shared nationality that transcends those differences.
Oshiomhole and Shekarau joined Hamzat in pressing for greater national cohesion. However, the available reports did not set out specific policies or programmes proposed by the three political figures to advance that objective, nor did they provide details about the venue or occasion at which the remarks were made.