Osibanjo said this on Friday in Enugu during a book presentation by former governor of Enugu State, Mr Sullivan Chime.
The vice president said that the widely held belief that the problem with the country was ethnic and tribal based was wrong and misplaced.
He said that those who wanted to privatise the resources of the country and build human capital were the major cause of friction in the country.
He said that such leaders instigated the division of the country along ethnic and tribal lines in order to sustain their empire.
“The problem of our country is finding forthright men in positions of authority,” he said.
Osibanjo described Chime as a man with strong values who made the desired change in the state during his time as governor.
He called on political office holders to discharge their responsibilities with good conscience and responsibility.
Osibanjo said that the country would be a better place if politicians think of what the future would hold for their people rather than how to win their next election.
“At the end of the day, integrity pays and I congratulate Chime for the successes he recorded during his time as governor,” Osibanjo said.
In the book review, Prof. Chidi Onyia said that the book, written by the former governor, filled the gap in contemporary history of the state.
Onyia said that the book, which encapsulated the good and rough times of the Chime administration, covered how to achieve growth in governance.
He said that the book covered the achievements of the former governor, including the construction of 332 km rural roads, 222km rural connecting roads and 471km Enugu urban roads.
Onyia also lauded the construction of bus stops, installation of street lights as well as implementation of a new waste management scheme in the state under the former governor.
He pointed out that it was under the Chime administration that the Rockefeller Foundation named Enugu as one of the resilient cities in the world.
“The efforts of the governor paid off and opened up the state for massive investments,” Onyia said.
Earlier, the chairman of the event, Prof. George Obiozor, described Chime as an unsung hero who preferred to be a hero in thought and action.
Obiozor said that the accomplishments of the former governor would remain a monument in the South East, adding that the continuity in developmental strides in the state was a pride to all Igbos.
In a vote of thanks, Chime said that his administration did its best to bring smiles to the faces of residents of the state.
The former governor said that he worked with an excellent team that saw one another as equals.
“I am happy that after that, rather than people throwing stones at you, they see and appreciate what you did,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the launch of the book titled ‘An Honour to Serve: Enugu State in the Sullivan Years’, drew attendance from across the country, including the spokesperson of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN).
Others that attended the event included Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, deputy governors of Enugu and Ebonyi, former ministers, some members of the National Assembly and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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