By Dapo Akinrefon

LAGOS—THE former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, yesterday, called on the Yoruba people to shun personal emotions and selfish interest and unite to place the South West region in the enviable position it deserves.

Chief Olabode George

He said this in an address entitled: ‘Truth, Sacrifice, Excellence and the Pathway to the Future’, at the Grand Zonal Congress of South West Youth and Women Leaders in Osogbo.

George said: “Our founding fathers were largely steered by the greater good of the Yoruba nation. They knew that personal ambition must never eclipse the larger vision of our collective destiny. They knew that bitterness and envy must never be used to corrode the promptings of selflessness and sacrifice.   They knew that avarice, malice, and deceit can never be appropriated as the building tools of our Omoluabi culture. They knew that no society endures on selfish promptings of the moment. It is an arduous building block of focused service and dedication.

“We must build bridges of friendship and cooperation across the vast Nigerian tribal crossroads in order to achieve the best for our people. We must negotiate with our first eleven. We must work together with those who share our vision of progress to enhance the leadership of our nation.”

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to all the sectors of the Nigerian nation to please give fairness and peace a chance to strengthen our national interest.”

On the need for unity among the Yoruba George said: “We must return to the sacred dignities of old where personal ambitions were restrained by humility. We must return to the instinctive patriotic zeal that insists on the sacrifice and selfless service. We must return to the good old days when hard work and perseverance were treasured over the lazy recourse to the easy ways.”

Speaking  on the  clamour  for a generational shift of power from the elders to the youth, George said  renewal and change is the lifeblood of all enduring societies.