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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ JANUARY 28, 2018
CICERO/REPORT/PERSPECTIVE
Nigeria - Ghana: The Imperative of Unity Bukola Saraki
I
t is 59 years since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s historic visit to Nigeria - in 1959 - in those heady days after the first All African People’s Conference, which Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe hailed as the beginning of a Federation of Independent West African States. Noting that Ghana and Nigeria’s struggles were identical in many respects, Dr. Azikiwe had declared that, “The very diversity of our peoples, and customs and languages, means that we have much to contribute to each other.” He looked forward to our two countries becoming “models of honest and democratic government” capable of giving hope to all of Africa. Typically, when we hear of a ‘special relationship’ between nations, it is with regard to Britain and America; and as the Reagan and Thatcher era showed forth, these are relationships that outlive governments. Ours, too, is a special relationship, which should outlive us and be a reference point in Africa. The onus and leadership rest on us. What we do now, lays the basis for the continent’s future. Here then is the imperative of unity between our two nations and in the region. With unity and democracy as standard, we can lay the groundwork for good governance and development. We are thus presented with the opportunity to work for democracy, using the instrumentality of parliament. If Africa is to be fully integrated into the global economy, its constituent nations must be governed by the rule of law, and we have to commit to making the required adjustment now. The strength of democracy starts with the strength of parliament. It is our responsibility to instil in the body politic the time-honoured principles of participation, transparency and accountability, and to fight corruption, always making the space for stakeholder participation. This is the modern model of governance. Parliaments are a stabilising force in democracy, especially with regard to oversight responsibility. We must be courageous; even when some of our initiatives fly in the face of special interest, ours is to do what is right for our people. To do this, we must defend democracy. We have seen for ourselves the beauty of democracy in its infancy. That should give us the inspiration to steer it to a level where it can compete favourably with older democracies in the developed world. As a community of democratic West African States, ECOWAS makes it that much easier to build consensus; and the organisation can serve this purpose very effectively on security and the economy. As many regional challenges indicate, our people suffer when the needed policies are not in place. In Nigeria, Boko Haram insurgency and Herdsmen-and-Farmers conflicts come with regional dimensions - further aggravated by porous borders that advertise the weakness in trans-national security, while facilitating irregular migration and human trafficking. There is a need to strengthen our security apparatus so that together, we can fight terrorism. It is a threat to government, education and economic development. We have much to build upon. Trading relations between Nigeria and Ghana have begun to peak. Collaboration between the Nigerian film industry - Nollywood - and Ghanaian actors, directors and producers, remind us that age-old competition in football and even music – for who can forget the glory days of E.T. Mensah and his co-travellers in Highlife? – all of that, can be channelled in truly great and creative directions. We are the richest continent in resources and yet we are the poorest, because we have allowed ourselves to be pigeon-holed as the supplier of raw materials to the world. The leaders of our
Saraki presenting an ostrich egg with the map of Africa painted on it to President Nana Akufo-Addo in Accra, Ghana...recently
two countries are clear in their stance on the raw materials pivot of our economies. President Muhammadu Buhari has said that, “Our vision is for a Nigeria in which we grow what we eat.” And President Akufo-Addo is unequivocal: “We must add value to [our] resources, we must industrialise and we must enhance agricultural productivity.” The two leaders have identified this flaw in our economies, and we in parliament must support them with appropriate legislation in order to realise their vision. African parliaments have to come together to cross-pollinate ideas about how to move the continent forward. It is unacceptable that Africa’s trade with Europe far outstrips that between African nations. British foreign investment in Africa totalled $54.1 billion in 2014. China had an estimated 2,650 projects ongoing on our continent in 2015. Meanwhile, Africa’s share of the global trade stands at 3 per cent, inter-Africa trade is 11 per cent. We must devise an economic model that produces and manufactures primarily for the African market, and then use that as a basis upon which to engage with the wider world. I strongly believe that our people’s talent for innovation and enterprise makes them our most valuable resources – it is our role therefore, to give them opportunities to translate these into going concerns. This will create wealth and enable us to compete globally. Africa cannot afford to lag behind. We must work to make the sub-region a place of investment. We must generate wealth for the people of Africa. It is incumbent on us to make clear promises and to deliver on
them. Our two nations can forge ahead by sharing experiences, building upon valued discourses about the way the world works, and how to make our people beneficiaries as well as contributors to the great leaps of this century. We must invest in primary, secondary and tertiary education – up to the 26 percent of the national budget recommended by the United Nations. It must be mandatory for every child to go to school; we should ensure that there are incentives for those that send their children to school, and penalties for those that do not. We have to pull every one of our citizens out of the cycle of poverty and ignorance, and education is the means by which to do so. My vision for Africa is an optimistic one. I am very upbeat about the continent, I am very upbeat about the future. Greater educational, scientific and technological interaction can lay a basis for our part of the world to match the rest of the world. Democracy is not just about elections; it is about putting knowledge at the disposal of a people determined to take their future into their own hands. If the African continent is to be a success story – or even the African Union (AU) for that matter, ECOWAS must play a key role. And for ECOWAS to lead the charge, Ghana and Nigeria must step up to the plate, and fulfil their leadership role on the continent. ––––An abridged version of the speech delivered by Senate President Bukola Saraki to the Parliament of Ghana last week
t A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT THAT CHANGED ALL MISGIVINGS tContinued from Pg. 69 Peace-Building Agency. I am indeed quite impressed with gains and successes recorded in the area of conflict management and peace-building, which have returned this state on the path of relative peace. As I formally endorse and launch the Plateau State Roadmap to Peace, let me express the federal government’s commitment to support and assist the Peace Building Agency in its effort to arrest the vicious cycle of violence and lay the foundation for sustainable peace.” In the area of Agriculture, where the state government had purchased 400 tractors to improve the fortunes of farmers in the state, Buhari said it was noteworthy that Lalong’s achievements on agriculture were laudable. “I am glad that the state government has keyed into the All Green initiative and the Anchor Borrowers Scheme of the federal government. I must commend the state government for its commitment to African Development Bank funded Potato Value Chain Support Project, which is targeted at wealth creation, empowerment generation and food security.” Buhari’s excitement for the warm reception possibly pushed him further to grant nearly all the requests brought before him by the government and the people of the state. He promised to look into the genuine request for the dualisation and construction of the road from Abuja to Jos and the gateway extending to the North East, given the economic viability and conveniences. He added that he would also look into Lalong’s request for more slots for the state in federal appointments so as to reflect federal character in line with his
government’s determination to address the issues of marginalisation in the spread of appointments and other privileges. “The desire of the state to turn Riyom General Hospital to Trauma/Disaster Hospital is a genuine one in view of the location of Riyom as the gateway into the state capital from Abuja. I will direct the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Road Safety Corps to working close collaboration with the Plateau State Government towards the actualisation of this project”, Buhari assured. He also promised to refund the money expended on the rehabilitation of the Jos-Bukuru-Mararaban Jama’a road, which is a federal road project in the state. “I hereby direct the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing as well as other relevant agencies to expedite action towards the refund of such funds to the Plateau State Government and the listing of other road projects.” Evidently overwhelmed by the success of the presidential visit, especially by the warm reception accorded him by the Plateau people, Lalong told journalists after Buhari had been airlifted that he was very happy that the president came and left without any hitch. He added that Buhari’s visit was a strong motivation to him to do more for the people of Plateau State. He said, “Usually, when a president visits a state, it’s either that there is a trouble in the state that the president is not happy about, or he is pleased with the development in the state. In our case here in Plateau, the president has visited, because he is happy with us. The crowd that came out to receive him was a show of acceptance.”
While some considered the warm reception for the president an extension of the people’s love for Lalong’s administration whom they considered to have done well in the areas of restoration of peace to the state and welfare of civil servants, others simply believed that Plateau people were a faint-hearted lot, who had no courage to confront Buhari with his obvious failures, especially in the areas of providing security for them. They observed that while Buhari was still in the state, over eleven persons were hacked down by Fulani herdsmen in Bassa and Bokkos local government areas. They believed that for a government that was celebrating peace and launching Peace Roadmap in the state, the killings while the President was still in the state was a big setback. The opposition has therefore advised Buhari to go beyond the euphoria of the loud reception to fulfilling his many promises to the people of the state and Nigerians by giving them security. They believed that governance was not just about making promises but getting them fulfilled. The opposition therefore said, “We look forward to one day that Buhari’s Fulani kinsmen will stop the killings in the state. We look forward to the day dilapidated Abuja-Jos road will be rehabilitated and dualised. We look forward to one day, when hunger will become history in Plateau; and we look forward to one day, when our hospitals will start working and our president wouldn’t have to be flown to foreign countries for mere treatment of ear pains/infection. Only then will we take Buhari seriously, not when herdsmen are on rampage in our state, even during his visit.”