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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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Wade, in Abuja, canvasses West African confederation
From Madu Onuorah,
Abuja
PRESIDENT of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade yesterday called for a confederacy of West African States as the sure way of achieving security and development in the sub-region.
The 78-year-old statesman said that neither the cleavages of Anglophone nor Francophone should be seen as a hindrance as member-state of the sub-regional group - ECOWAS - could, if they pull together under one political entity a confederation of states to rejuvenate their economies and bring better life to the citizens.
Giving the piece of advice at the inaugural lecture of Course 13 of the National War College Abuja, Wade, who spoke on the topic: Francophone/Anglophone West Africa's Approaches to Sub-Regional Security and Development in the Next Decade," said, however, that the engine room for the transformation of West Africa rests with Nigeria. He stated that the role of Nigeria in the transformation of the sub-region is also in consonance with its role in Africa.
Therefore, he said, every Nigerian should be fully aware of the role of leadership that Nigeria should be playing in the African continent and take a positive role in it.
According to him: "Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare, at the time he was the President of Mali, a pan-africanist forever told us that Africa could only if it accepts the leadership of some countries that nature has endowed with the essential attributes to lead our continent towards development.
"He was naming Nigeria. Nigeria should be playing the role the United States is playing on the American continent; the only difference being that African States are united contrary to the States in America, which is a big advantage for us.
"Our option for the political unity of the continent has become irreversible because not only is it imposed by the evolution of the world towards large settings, but pan-Africanists have succeeded in convincing those who hesitate, so that we are today all committed to the construction of the United States of Africa, that we call for the time being the African Union. But this is the only a step made necessary by our heavy inheritance of colonisation that deeply divided our continent."
To make the integration a reality, Wade said that he was in constant touch with President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also the chairperson of African Union (AU).
Describing the relationship between both Presidents as the way forward for the integration of the sub-continent, he said: "We are working daily as if we were in the same building only separated by walls but linked up by telephone. I am sure the same goes for the other heads of states. We all are in permanent contact with one another. This is the occasion to tell you that in 2005, we will be connected via intranet enabling us to organise videoconferences between two or more heads of states.
He noted that towards the evolution of the confederacy of West African States, the following must be put in place:
He added: "As you already know, my option is the transformation of West African States. Such a confederation can be done in the Swiss or American fashion. As you can see, neither the language nor military tradition inherited from colonialists could have been impeded a common strategy for conflict resolution or prevention or even peacekeeping.
"This issue of integration should be seen in terms of political integration. And in the light of this desire, by which we will be guided to adopt a military strategy of rapprochement between our armies, which could go as constituting a singular army as an ultimate term of the evolution, which should follow our development towards political unity.
"Such evolution towards military cooperation when pursued further will call for a balance of the equation of the integration of our armies and this will overtake the idea of Francophone or Anglophone."
Wade, who spoke mostly in French to the audience, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar, warned that the continent is being threatened by the on-going war in the Democratic Republic of Congo as eight countries are involved in what he dubbed: "the African World War."
Altogether, he said, more than 30 wars have been fought in Africa, mostly originating from internal conflicts. By 1996, only 14 of the 53 countries have experienced armed conflicts, which are responsible for half of deaths caused by armed conflicts worldwide. More than eight million refugees have also resulted from the conflicts, which he noted have retarded development.
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