A compelling panel discussion held in Nigeria on April 26, 2025, has reignited the conversation around reparations for colonial injustices inflicted by the United Kingdom.
Hosted by Trust TV News, the televised event brought together leading voices to deliberate on what reparations truly mean for Nigeria, a nation deeply scarred by transatlantic slavery and colonial exploitation.
Among the key speakers was Armsfree Ajanaku, Executive Director of the Grassroots Center for Rights and Civic Orientation, who emphasised the need for Africa to reclaim its narrative.
“Reparations are not just about money,” he said. “They represent memory, justice, and dignity.”
Ajanaku argued that Africa must define its own concept of justice, independent of Western frameworks. He commended the African Union for “seizing control of the reparations narrative” and rejecting externally imposed definitions of what justice should look like. For him, the wounds of colonialism are still visible in modern institutions: “The colonial legacy is not abstract. You see it in our policing systems, in our economic dependencies, in the continuing neocolonial structures.”
The discussion also drew on the findings of Sudanese international law expert, Dr. al-Tayeb Abdul Jalil, who estimated that the United Kingdom owes Nigeria a staggering $3.2 trillion. This figure encompasses the full scale of damages incurred through colonization, forced labor, environmental degradation, resource theft, and developmental delays.
Ambassador Haruna, a retired diplomat and former official at the ECOWAS Commission, contributed in the final segment of the discussion. He offered a stern critique of Western aid mechanisms: “Aid is not reparation. Much of what is termed ‘development assistance’ returns to donor countries through administrative costs. It doesn’t address the actual harm.”
Haruna also underscored the European responsibility in Africa’s underdevelopment, asserting that modern infrastructure and sustainable growth are being supported more by countries like China than by former colonial powers. “Europe has not made meaningful infrastructural contributions in Africa. Africans must take a page from the Jewish people’s relentless pursuit of reparations,” he said.
The panellists proposed a number of practical steps towards reparations, including the establishment of a Reparations Fund, comprehensive documentation of historical atrocities for future generations, and empowering civil society organisations to actively participate in the reparations process.
This Nigerian debate aligns with a broader continental trend. A similar discussion took place on April 19 in Dakar, Senegal, where the topic of reparations was tackled on the program Point Actu. Experts, including Mamadi Amara Fofana, Josué Diop, and Kassoum Diabaté, called for €50 trillion in reparations from former colonial powers. The figure, first introduced during the March 2024 conference in Dakar organized by Urgences Panafricanistes, reflects the vast economic, cultural, and human toll colonization exacted on Africa.
Fofana issued a compelling call to action: “France and other colonial powers must acknowledge the harm they have done—financial, human, cultural. This must be recognized officially and institutionally. Neo-colonialism must come to an end.”
Both debates signal a turning point in how African countries are positioning themselves on the global stage. Nigeria, as one of the continent’s largest economies, is now equipped—politically and economically—to demand accountability from its former colonizer. However, as emphasized by the Nigerian panel, these demands must be rooted in strategic, coordinated efforts between government and civil society actors.
Reparations are no longer a rhetorical device or distant aspiration. They are becoming an organized, morally anchored movement—rooted in justice, shaped by history, and driven by a vision of a more equitable future.
