African leaders have been urged to protect their sovereign autonomy, with warnings that failure to do so could leave the continent perpetually dependent despite its vast natural endowments.
This admonition was given at the strategic policy workshop held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of General Muhammed Muritala, Nigeria’s former Head of State.
In his welcome remarks, the Director-General of NIIA, Dr Eghosa Osaghae, stressed that it is time Africans reclaimed their assertiveness on the global stage, arguing that Africa is no longer an appendage of world powers but an emerging centre of influence in a multipolar world.
Commenting on General Muritala’s historic speech that Africa has come of age, which was delivered on January 11, 1976, at an OAU extraordinary summit in Addis Ababa, Osaghae said indeed Africans must tackle its challenges with local solutions, adding that continued dependent on foreign aids would not yield positive outcome.
He said: “When General Muritala said Africa had come of age, he was saying to the world, don’t think Africa is an appendage anymore. Don’t think Africa is what you like to put today as copycat. “To say Africa has come of age is actually to put on the stamp the meaning of strategic autonomy.
“And I just say that Africa has become its own voice, its own master. Africa has now insisted that it must only follow tracks and tractions that are determined by Africa for Africans. “And so today, it resonates very well when we say African solutions to African problems.”
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, lauded her father for his commitment to Pan-Africanism, which according to her, elevated the status of Nigeria and Africans on the global stage. Reflecting on her father’s enduring influence on Nigeria’s governance and Africa, MuhammedOyebode emphasised that her father stood at the forefront of Africa’s liberation struggle.
She described her father’s popular saying that “Africa has come of age,” as a rallying cry that continues to resonate in Africa’s pursuit of unity and independence in international affairs.
Muhammed-Oyebode noted that the event was organised to serve as inspiration for young Africans to embrace careers in diplomacy, governance, and international development in other to address the challenges facing the continent.
