Skip to main content

Peaceful transitions no longer negotiable in Africa

Buhari in Berlin
President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja said political transitions in Africa must be properly managed to safeguard countries from slipping into crises that slow down economic growth, and throw citizens into avoidable hardships.
In a ceremony to receive Letters of Credence at the Presidential Villa, President Buhari told the Ambassador of the Republic of Togo, Lene Dimban, that peaceful transitions on the African continent were no longer negotiable, considering the heavy toll of political crises on the economy and ordinary citizens.
“At this stage in ECOWAS, we are working on consolidating our relationships to ensure that we bequeath a safe and secure region to the next generation by ensuring peace transitions,’’ he said.
The president said the political challenges faced in some African countries, like South Sudan, usually spiralled into neighbouring countries, leaving the entire continent more vulnerable and forcing governments to channel meagre resources into fighting internal crisis.
Mr. Buhari said his administration will work hard with other ECOWAS Heads of State to prevent political transitions from snowballing into crisis so that citizens in the region can focus their energies and resources on developmental issues, rather than trying to survive political upheavals.
The president, who also received Letters of Credence from the Ambassadors of the Republic of Vietnam, Pham Anh Tuan and the Republic of Burundi, Emmanuel Mpfayokurera, assured the countries that Nigeria will keep working hard to improve on its diplomatic relationships, and build more progressive partnerships.
President Buhari congratulated the ambassadors on their posting to Nigeria.
In his remark, the Ambassador of Togo said Nigeria and Togo played a major role in the formation of ECOWAS, adding that both countries must remain central in promoting peace and stability in the region.
“As a big brother, Nigeria has an important role to play in securing and stabilizing the region, and we will always look up to you,’’ he said.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NDDC diverted N183bn Niger Delta development money, Auditor General insists August 19, 2015 Maiwada Abubakar Muhammad At least N183 billion that was meant for the development of Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, was diverted by those put in charge of the government development commission for the area, the Auditor General of the Federation, Samuel Ukura said Wednesday. Mr. Ukura insisted on the veracity of his special audit report accusing the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, of diverting the money. The Auditor General said his office stood by the report and directed those not satisfied to be prepared to defend their position before a special committee of the National Assembly. “The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation stands by the Special Periodic Checks on the NDDC and its contents. Any person or corporate organization not satisfied has the opportunity to def...
Post a Comment
Read more

Border Closure: IMF backs Nigeria, urges speedy resolution

Mr Abebe Selassie, Director of the African Department at the IMF (right) with Ms Meera Louis, a Communications Officer at the Fund, during the media briefing. Photo: NAN The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed Nigeria’s closure of its borders with some neighbouring countries over issues bordering on illegal trade. Abebe Selassie, the Director of the African Department at the IMF, gave the position at a media briefing on the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Washington. He was responding to a question on whether the closure negates the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Mr Selassie said although free trade was critical to economic growth of the continent, it must be legal and in line with agreements. “On the border closure in Nigeria which has been impacting Benin and Niger, our understanding is that the action reflects concerns about smuggling that has been taking place. “It is about illegal trade, which is not what you ...
Post a Comment
Read more

KADUNA STATE TEACHERS' EXAMINATION : A SIMPLIFIED PROFESSIONAL OVERVIEW

By Usman Muhammad Dauda Only Teachers' Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) can lawfully and legally administer professional examination on teachers. An informal, unprofessional and non-standadized test (examination) is not only lacking in validity and reliabilty, but also can not be the basis of taking any formal decision. The problem started when teachers were forced to take the informal, unvalidated test by those with neither the professional authority nor legal competence to administer test. This is the bastardization of the teaching profession from the political administrators' side. Teaching is a specialized and technical profession. It has its own specialist methodology and techniques of carrying out every part of its professional tasks. Not every examination is good and relevent for everybody. For instance, saying the National anthem is part of the syllabus of class one in primary school. How many of our Governors, Commissioners, SAs, PAs...
Post a Comment
Read more