Politics

Nigeria: Ex-president Jonathan knocks Founding Fathers over ‘nation-building’

Published

1 year ago

September 6, 2023

Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has insisted that the country’s founding fathers did not do enough for “nation-building.”

Jonathan, during a national dialogue and public presentation of 21 books, commended Nigeria’s first set of leaders for the struggle for independence and victory that followed. He argued further that, unlike Tanzania’s Nyerere, Nigerian founding fathers paid greater emphasis on ethnic and identity politics at the expense of building Nigeria into a cohesive nation.

“When I compare Nigeria and a country like Tanzania, I feel that Julius Nyerere made his vision clear to make Tanzania a nation. They have different tribes, maybe not as many as Nigeria but one nation was at the height of his thoughts”, he said.

Jonathan added, “Have we been able to convince ourselves whether we are a state or a nation? If we are a country and a state, how do we become a nation?

“I am not blaming our founding fathers but they failed to integrate us into a proper nation. They operated as individuals and so on.

“Of course, if you have read some of the comments of our former leaders, someone like (Obafemi) Awolowo made it very clear that there was no nation called Nigeria. It is a geographical entity, it is a country, it is a state, it has laws but there is no nation.

“The country was so polarized, especially during the early political party formation and the parties were regional parties.

“There was no sense of commitment to integrate Nigeria into an entity that you can say yes, this is a nation with core values, common philosophy and people will be patriotic to that nation.

“Most of the parties at that time belonged to regions and there were no alliances for the purpose of ruling the country”.

He stated that President Nyerere was able to champion a one-party state to prevent political parties from splintering into their ethnic and religious cocoons while he worked hard with other nationalists to make Tanzania the country it is today. This was done in spite of the numerical dominance and popularity of the two faiths, he noted.

Nigeria is made up of over 200 ethnic nationalities, and its early political parties and leadership were all divided along the lines of major nationalities- the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), the Action Group (AG) in the Southwest, the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in the North, and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in the Eastern part of the country.

Related Topics:Featured Goodluck Jonathan Nigeria

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.