Pan-Africanists to Nigerian government: Sudan is your failing!

Pan-Africanists to Nigerian government: Sudan is your failing!

By Tasie Theodore

A panel of pan-Africanist commentators that participated in the 8th Africa Day Colloquium convened by The Difference Newspaper in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday May 25, blamed the horrendous expansion of the crisis in Sudan on the inability of African giant, Nigeria to rise to the occasion, when the crisis was yet in its infancy.

According to them, while there are national elements involved in the crisis in that country, there are also cross-cutting pan-African ramifications that required a very strong voice and leadership from a country like Nigeria, which was sadly missing, and has continued to be absent.

The event which was held at the CRIMMD Place, Idimu, Lagos had as lead discussant, Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine of the Lagos State University, with Ms. Betty Abah of CEE-Hope, Mr. Ladi Jemi Alade of Jemi-Alade Tours, Dr. Raphael James of CRIMMD, Mr. Richard Mammah of The Difference and Dr. Mercy Aliu of the International Society of Authors, also participating, among others.

In particular, Akhaine traced the history of the struggle for Pan-African expression among people of African descent that led to the establishment of the Organisation of African Union, OAU and in particular highlighted the role of Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s that greatly assisted in completing the task of decolonising about all of the rest of the continent that was still then under colonial rule. He recalled the great work done by activists in pushing the Murtala/Obasanjo military junta into providing solid support for the beleaguered ‘Frontline States’ even at great personal and national risk as the Western nations did not find their principled insistence on the right thing being done funny.

The first Africa Day Colloquium organised by The Difference Newspaper took place in May, 2016 and was held at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Africa Day is celebrated annually to mark the founding of the Organisation of African Unity on May 25, 1963 at Adiss Ababa, Ethiopia.

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