Veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on Tuesday charged Nigerians to support the government and avoid religious conflicts.
He charged Nigerians to do so by educating misinformed individuals on the religious diversity rather than engage in confrontations.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Osoba spoke in Lagos at the public presentation of Beyond Expectations – A Memoir, authored by Yakubu Mohammed, Vice President of the League of Nigerian Columnists (LNC).
Osoba, who was Chairman of the ceremony, said that religion can be an issue in some parts, but affirmed that it is not the major issue.
“I want us to unite, not because of the Federal Government, not because of the president but because of Nigeria’s stability. We don’t deserve any intervention from anywhere that could complicate the situation in this country,” he said.
Osoba also praised the author, Mohammed for his professionalism and contributions to journalism in Nigeria.
NAN reports that the book, Beyond Expectations, chronicles a lifetime devoted to journalism, leadership, and nation-building, offering readers both a vivid historical account and a deeply human story of perseverance and purpose.
The author said the content of his book is based on his factual personal recollections.
Reviewing the book, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, a journalist and columnist, described the memoir as a story of miracles and survival competently written.
He said through tender recollections of the past, Mohammed presents his life as a sequence of events and a drama of destiny, one where fate transforms suffering to survival and where pain becomes the tool through which purpose is fulfilled.
According to him, the book traces a journey of resilience and faith in life and as the title rightly affirms, blossomed far beyond expectations.
“Yakubu’s language is very accessible, the plot is linear, the sentences are simple and the author’s prose mirrors his personality. The book contains more on Nigeria and its history and unlike many other memoirs, its tone is not offensive, neither is it defensive,” he said.
Olagunju said the book would leave readers with inspiration, admiration and breathtaking awe.
Also speaking, Anthony Kila, Professor of Strategy and Development, and the Secretary General of the LNC, described Mohammed as a community leader and man of many parts.
Kila said the public presentation was a chance to get together to celebrate, support and appreciate the writer who has lived, documented, analysed and commented on the history of Nigeria.
“The book is a personal history, but it’s also a collective testament. The author is a deep part of Nigerian history, a participant, an observer and a hero of a different kind,” he said.
Kila recommended the book for the media, students, administrators and individuals interested in the history and politics of Nigeria.
(NAN)
