World leaders in Abuja on Thursday warned that Nigeria’s break-up might spell doom for the entire continent.
They spoke at the International Conference tagged, ‘Human security, peace and development: Agenda for 21st century Africa’, organised by Nigeria to mark the 100 years of amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates.
Delivering a keynote address at the event, the French President, Francois Hollande, said democracy was the best way of ensuring stability and economic development.
Condemning the attack by Boko Haram on a school in Yobe State on Tuesday, he promised that his country would support Nigeria to overcome its challenges.
“Europe is not immune to this. Anything that happens in Africa could happen in other places. Africans must themselves ensure their own security.
“Security is crucial for development. Africa has a great future. This is where the major infrastructure will be built. The new sources of renewable energy would be deployed. This is where the new requirement of the world would be redefined.”
The Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, in his address said Africans must return to the basics of their culture and religious values and redefine the contents of the educational curriculum along the societal values.
Commending Nigeria for leading by good example to protect its heritage, he blamed external forces for security challenges in Africa.
He said, “It is about time we as Africans set our priorities right. It still baffles that rebels on this continent, that is associated with abject poverty, are armed with the latest, most expensive weapons that our children cannot get basic educational tools in spite of lip service from the world powers that pretend to care so much about our well-being; that they emphasise the rights of a tiny minority bent on defiling the laws of the almighty creator over the welfare of the majority that choose to live according to their cultural and religious beliefs.”
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