Kehinde Fajobi
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called for greater unity among African countries, decrying the hostile treatment of Africans travelling across borders on the continent.
Musa made the appeal during a dinner in honour of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and his wife, Olori Atuwatse III, held in Abuja.
Musa expressed his disappointment at the way Africans treat each other when crossing borders, saying, “I have had the privilege of travelling to most African countries, and I bet if you appear in any of them, you will believe you are home because the feeling is just the same. We walk, talk, and act alike. It is, therefore, important that we embrace ourselves. I personally feel very bad when I travel to other African borders and see how hostile we are to each other.”
He added, “It is one thing that actually pains me greatly. We must learn to appreciate one another. We do business with others, but we don’t do with ourselves. I think we need to break those barriers. Africans should be able to travel across countries and be received as family members. That is the only way we can grow.”
Musa also urged Africans to take pride in their heritage and not rely on others to speak for them.
“As Africans, nobody should speak for us. We must stand strong and bold and speak for ourselves wherever we are. We refuse to be intimidated by anyone because we are Africans and the cradle of civilisation,” he said.
Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, echoed Musa’s sentiments, advocating for the removal of barriers and the introduction of a single currency to boost trade among African nations.
“Africa is just one continent divided by Europeans many years ago. There are no natural resources you can find in any part of the world that we don’t have in the continent. But we have remained perpetually poor,” Nwoko said.
He continued, “The solutions to our problems must revolve around lowering the barriers at borders free for movement of people across Africa. The second solution is to develop some technologies that will enable us to manufacture and refine our products. We cannot at this stage be exporting raw materials abroad to be processed and sent to us at huge costs.”
Nwoko also called for a single currency, stating, “The more contentious issue I see is the need to have a single currency that will enable us to trade among ourselves. Believe me, we don’t need dollars or Euros. We must learn to always put our people first and raise benevolent leaders.”
Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, also addressed the gathering, stressing the importance of peace for Africa’s development. She urged for a grassroots sensitisation campaign to promote unity.
“We are here to promote a positive and inspiring narrative about Africa. This is because Africa is blessed with professionals and talented people who have great potential. This potential, therefore, needs to be harnessed to create opportunities for growth and development,” she said.
Jonathan added, “Unfortunately, for many decades, Africa has been branded as the continent of conflicts. However, we all know that without peace, there can be no sustainable development. Therefore, we need to sensitise our people to embrace peace and focus on issues that unite rather than divide us. This sensitisation should begin from the grassroots.”