Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has urged African leaders to go beyond rhetoric and offer value to their people, saying that democracy would serve no purpose if it cannot advance the welfare of Africans.
Osinbajo gave the advice yesterday when he declared open the 48th Session of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (African Region) holding at Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Addressing the assembly, he said, “The power and responsibility for rewriting the story of Africa lies in our hand. We will be charlatans of the worst order if our leadership does not secure the future for our people while providing for the presence. Going forward, our guiding principles as a people should be such that treat an attack on democracy in any African country as an attack on democracy in every African country”
Noting that the legislature and the executive have a duty to the people and must ensure harmony and stability for the system, the Vice President stressed that even when the two arms of government agree; it must not appear a conspiracy against the people.
Osinbajo stated that the 2063 African renaissance target as projected by the session proceeds on the strength of the confidence that the 21st Century is Africa’s century.
While observing that the continent has made sterling strides in all fields of human endeavour and has its goods and services in markets across the globe, the Vice President added that in spite of some interspersed hiccups, Africa is gradually mastering the art of democracy.
“We must, however, accept the sobering reality that there is yet a long way to go. Presently, the challenge for us has not been in planning but in implementing; not in debating but in doing. What we have not been able to consistently do is to put action behind our words and visions. Any however we look at it, time is not on our side. Whether we do something or nothing, 2063 will arrive and in what state shall it meet us?”
Osinbajo further asked African leader to begin to pay more than lip service to the issue of regional integration in Africa regretting that ease-of-doing-business is still a major challenge in the continent.
“Africa is splintered into 55 economies while other continents are coming together as individual economic blocs just like the European Union. This is key to seamless cross-border interactions and enterprises among the nations of Africa”.
In his welcome address, the host governor, Rochas Okorocha called on the parliamentarians to legislate free education in every African country.
He said, “To deny a child the right to education because his parents cannot afford it should henceforth not be the norm. I urge you all to legislate free education in respective African country. No matter how poor the country is, with little sacrifice, it can be done.”
He continued, “The story of Africa has been one of poverty, frustration and that of a people whose destiny is yet undiscovered. We have one of the largest populations of despondent youths across the world. Education must therefore be given its rightful place in Africa, if our youths must get any foothold in the global space to rewrite their history. ”
Okorocha called for the culturization of democracy in Africa to reflect the character of Africans. “we must carefully fashion a brand of democracy that can work for us better.”

This land is not for sale

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Noise makers at it again.They talk more than they work.

It's APC that's turning out to be useless. So useless they cannot even practice democracy to improve lives