A former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Chairman, African Business Roundtable, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has urged African leaders to lead the fight against xenophobia in their respective countries.
The elder statesman gave this admonition when a former member of House of Representatives and initiator, OneUnitedAfrica, Bimbo Daramola called at his residence where he formally endorsed the initiative.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti by Lanre Aribisala, the Director, Public Communications of the anti-xenophobia project, Tukur called for concerted effort to end the menace.
Tukur noted that the resurgence of hate tendency among Africans remains stumbling to peace and progress in the continent.
“African leaders should wake up to their responsibilities. It is not enough to be the President of a country, you must be ready to stand for and protect the deprived in your respective countries.
“We must reclaim ourselves, we must mobilise opinions through education. We must let our people understand that we don’t have a future unless and until we come together.
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“It is time to take the campaign from the village to towns cities, states and countries. We must let them understand that we are a race, a black race and until when we are united, we cannot talk about peace and progress.
“It is not by accident that a Nigerian is leading the campaign on OneUnitedAfrica.Nigeria was a frontline in the fight against apartheid. We are sending our resources to fight apartheid.
Earlier in his remark, Daramola hinted that the idea was conceived in 2012 when he raised a motion alerting continent to the emerging realities of a monster at the hallowed chamber,” which if not nip in the bud could cause a crisis. And that is the resentment of backs on blacks.”
Although the Ire-Ekiti born crusader acknowledged the steps taken so far by Nigerian Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the wake of the scourge, he, however, enjoined other African Leaders to key into Pan-African project by showing more commitment.
“The last may not be the last on xenophobia unless we redouble our efforts in preaching unity. And for us, the best of Africa can only come from the unity of Africa,” he averred.
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