Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has called for unity among African countries so that the continent can attain greatness.
While lamenting hostilities meted out to fellow Africans, particularly at the borders, Musa, who spoke at a dinner held in honour of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III and his wife, Olori Atuwatse III in Abuja at the weekend, bemoaned the inhuman treatment of fellow Africans while moving across the continent.
He said amid such challenges, Africa had made significant progress over the years and urged the people to stand strong and speak for themselves wherever they are.
“I personally feel very bad when I travel to other African borders and see how hostile we are to one another. 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 within ourselves. I think we need to break those barriers. I think that is what we need to break,” he said.
Also underscoring the importance of unity in Africa, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, said God had perfectly set up the continent for greatness and success.
The monarch identified the evidence of greatness as the seven great rivers with two of them in Nigeria, fusing into one, saying; “Every time I think about this, the singular portion of the Bible comes to mind, even though it was meant for Ethiopia, it rhymes to a degree: “Go you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin…whose land, the two rivers divide…
“Our collective roles in the gun shape that is the African continent.
It’s like the body part, the brain cannot do what the heart does, what the leg does, and so on and so forth. God has created Africa and naturally bestowed “roles” for the different peoples on the continent.”
On her part, former first lady, Patience Jonathan, harped on the need for fellow Africans to embrace peace if they hope to have any meaningful and sustainable development.
“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. We need a united front to promote Africa,” she said.
The senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, called for the removal of certain barriers and introduction of a single currency for trade among African countries as the way forward.
He said: “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.”
Speaking earlier at a two-day inaugural convening of ‘Elevate Africa: The Africa We See’ at the instance of the Olu of Warri and his wife to change the African narrative, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu and Access Bank Chairman, Dere Awosika, commended the resourcefulness of Nigerian and African youth.
Sanwo Olu stressed the need for African leaders to create an enabling environment to properly harness the creativity and talents of their youthful population.
He said: “There is a need to create an enabling environment for all Africans including women and the physically challenged. It is only when we do that we can harness the potential, not just from a privileged few. Let everybody participate.”
On his part, Awosika said she was impressed with the exploits recorded by youths on the continent, who are leveraging on digital technology to drive social change, create jobs and transform entire industries.
“For too long, the stories told about Africa have been one-dimensional. Africa has often been cast as a land of problems to be solved, rather than a continent of solutions.
However, we have the power to change that narrative. We need to tell the stories of Africa’s innovation,” she said.
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