“Nigeria, as the giant of Africa, had suffered leadership
elephantiasis years back. I am determined to change that. Adhering to the
principles of democracy and the rule of law is very important to us. I wonder
how democracy will survive if we do not fight for it. I fought for this
democracy. I risked my life for it. Military truncation of democracy is
unacceptable. The power of our citizens is and must remain supreme,” the
President said.
Tinubu emphasised the need for the United States to evolve a
more prudent and pragmatic partnership with Africa.
According to him, the U.S. Congressional delegation should
consider upscaling critical development programmes to strengthen ties with the
continent.
He said: “It is important for our partners to help
strengthen democracy in Africa. Our developmental programmes need serious
capital. We are not asking for freebies. All we are asking for is
understanding. After the Second World War, Europe was impacted. America
developed and executed the Marshall Plan to pull them back up. Today, Europe is
standing firm and tall as a result. What about a Marshall Plan for Africa?
“How can we be categorised and thrown into IMF’s basket of
trickle-down slices? We are blessed in Africa, but these are the same resources
causing conflicts because of exploitation and a lack of alignment. The presence
of the resources does not reflect in the living conditions of the people. We
must not use yesterday’s methods to address today’s challenges. Nobody wants to
risk their life to run away from Africa.
“America needs to look at the situation in Africa
critically. What is happening in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger emanates from a
helpless feeling people have that they are not being helped economically. They
find that their former colonial masters are not letting go and are still
seeking to exploit them. We have mineral resources. What technology can you
bring to help turn that into economic prosperity? Can you put de-risking
finance in place to incentivize John Deere to assist us in massively
mechanising our food production processes? There is so much we can do in the
advancement of education. See Africa as a necessary partner for the sustenance
of democracy.”
