Tinubu seeks unity among African countries

President Bola Tinubu says African countries must, as a matter of urgency, pursue peace and unity to achieve collective sustainable growth.

Tinubu argued that the old legacies of nepotism must give way to unity and peace, which are non-negotiably important for Africa’s development.

“We better roll our sleeves, put on our nickers and move for peace, stability and progress,” Tinubu said at a dinner in Malabo, organised in his honour by President Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday.

The dinner is part of events lined up as Tinubu undertakes a three-day official visit to the Central African country.

Earlier, the Nigerian leader and his host held talks and signed agreements in various areas, including petroleum, and security, among others.

At the dinner, Tinubu told his host that Africa must take charge of solving its problems, rejecting external expectations that only birth conflict and instability.

“We have to work together to make peace the focus of our development to develop. Without peace, you cannot develop.

“Our problem is not that we don’t know what to do, we identify them, we understand what to do, our problem is how and when we should do them and I say the time is now.

“We better roll our sleeves, put on our nickers and move for peace, stability and progress,” he said.

The President cited the massive brain drain Africa is suffering due to poverty, archaic judicial systems and tribalism, saying leaders must address these root causes to foster development.

He said, “Why are we complaining about healthcare problems if our doctors cannot have a home in their continent if our nurses are faced with destitution, if our judicial system is archaic and if the tribe is the hero in the middle 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 appealed to 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,” he called.

Tinubu said the long-standing conflicts in the Congo and Sahel require collective action if peace is the goal.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu noted that Wednesday’s gathering is “a significant milestone in the history of Africa and particularly West Africa, between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.”

He continued, “I am very happy to have listened to the very deep thinking coming from my brother, the President of Equatorial Guinea on Africa.

“Yes, it is Africa that must solve its problems. They want Africa wretched and raggedy, full of conflicts, and antagonism of one another, but we’re saying no. Peace, stability and democracy are the way forward for a progressive development and we agreed on that.”

In his remarks earlier, 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 emphasised the need for African solidarity, calling for stronger regional and international cooperation to address challenges such as maritime crime, security threats, and economic diversification.

He argued that African leaders must strengthen constitutional institutions and fight injustices, advocating for greater African representation on the global stage, particularly on the United Nations Security Council.

He thanked Tinubu for his visit, expressing confidence that the new spirit of cooperation between the two nations would deepen their ties and promote mutual benefit for their peoples.