By Jennifer Amarachi
President Bola Tinubu has solicited for peace and unity among African countries in order to achieve collective sustainable progress.
Tinubu emphasized that the ancient legacies of nepotism must give way to unity and peace, which are unquestionably necessary for Africa’s progress.
Tinubu made the remark during a dinner in Malabo hosted by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Mbasogo on Wednesday, saying “We better roll up our sleeves, put on our nickers, and move for peace, stability, and progress”.
The dinner is one of several events scheduled during Tinubu’s three-day official visit to the Central African country. Previously, the Nigerian leader and his host met and inked agreements in a variety of fields, including petroleum and security, among others.
At the event, Tinubu reminded his host that Africa must take care of its own problems, rejecting external expectations that only breed strife and insecurity.
“We must work together to make peace the primary goal of our progress. You cannot develop without serenity. Our problem is not that we don’t know what to do; we have identified and understand what to do; our challenge is how and when to accomplish it, and I believe the moment is now. We better roll our sleeves, put on our nickers and move for peace, stability and progress,”
Tinubu mentioned the tremendous brain drain that Africa is experiencing owing to poverty, archaic judicial systems, and tribalism, stating leaders must address these core problems to foster development.
“Why are we whining about healthcare difficulties if our physicians can’t find a place to live on their continent, our nurses are homeless, our court system is ancient, and the tribe is the hero in the midst of nothing? Tribalism has no place in Africa, we have to take the continent and take it strongly and together, help one another, develop our resources for our progress, find solutions among ourselves, dwell on research and development, reward those research and development programmes, bring out the results, don’t sell it out.” President Tinubu urged international organisations to invest more in African research and development.
“To the international organisations, we say thank you, we are partners, we’ll continue to partner, but put more than half of the results of research and development here in the continent, we have a lot of youths to cater for, millions of them yearning for progress.
“We definitely will continue to promote peace and stability throughout the continent.Some others of our brothers in shackles, are still there at each other’s throat. We must work together, and do everything possible to promote peace between them.
“What we are seeing in the middle of the region, Congo Republic and other areas of the Sahel is not pleasant for our today and promising for our tomorrow. I am very pleased to have heard my brother, the President of Equatorial Guinea, express his profound thoughts on Africa. Yes, Africa must fix its problems. They want Africa to be sad and tattered, filled with disputes and animosity among one another, but we say no. Peace, stability, and democracy are the path forward for progressive growth”.
Earlier in his remarks , President Mbasogo thanked President Tinubu for accepting his invitation to visit Equatorial Guinea.
While hailing the strong relations between the two nations, the host President said he is satisfied with the growing cooperation between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea, citing education, mining, hydrocarbons, trade, defence, agriculture and investment.
Mbasogo praised Nigeria’s extensive experience in agriculture, trade, tourism, and economic development, and expressed his desire for a mutually beneficial exchange of experiences between the two countries.
The Equatorial Guinean leader also emphasized the importance of African solidarity, urging for increased regional and international cooperation to address issues such as marine crime, security threats, and economic diversification.
He stated that African leaders must strengthen constitutional institutions and combat inequities, while also lobbying for increased African presence on the world stage, particularly on the United Nations Security Council. He praised Tinubu for his visit and expressed optimism that the new spirit of cooperation between the two countries will strengthen ties and benefit both peoples.
