Lack of purposeful leadership is responsible for the under-development of the African continent. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has said.
Speaker Dogara, said this when he received in audience the Sudanese ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ibrahim Busha in his office on Tueasday, lamenting that African leaders have left the continent underdeveloped as a result of their reliance on foreign aids from the western world.
Dogara in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Mr. Turaki Hassan maintained that for Africa to develop, its leaders must begin to look inward and profer solutions instead of waiting for aids from the West.
He said African leaders must begin to practise governance that really puts Africans first, stressing that “It is unacceptable that our continent is still being characterised as a dark continent”.
“I sincerely believe that for us to make progress, leadership in Africa must be really for the people, certainly. If we do that, there is no limit to potentials of an African.
“It is unfortunate that we have been locked in a situation whereby leadership and governance as it is practised has only tied us to aids from the western world.”
“Instead of us looking inwards, we have always looked outwards to aids that come to Africa and most cases, these aids have some strings attached to them that tend to imprison and impoverish our people more than liberating them and putting them on the ladder of economic prosperity”.
“So that is one thing we have to ensure is done across Africa, to provide the kind of leadership that lifts our people out of poverty and places them on the pedestal of economic growth and prosperity and that is something we can do when we further our cooperation and deepen our relationship with countries that occupy leading positions in Africa”, he added.
Dogara who further called for cooperation and deepened relationship among leading African countries, saying it is one of the ways through which the continent can achieve its goals of development, stating, ”there is so much more, going forward, that we can do to provide the leadership that Africa needs for its progress.”
He assured the Sudanese ambassador that the House of Representatives is working on agreements and treaties between the two countries to the benefit of Nigerians.
“I am also aware of the diverse agreements that we have signed. From your own side of the divide, you have even gone further to establish a special implementation committee with regards to agreements signed with Nigeria”, he said.
Dogara added saying that; “As the House of Representatives, of course, we are the representatives of the people as the name suggests. We ensure that in whatever we are discussing, the interest of the people supercedes even our own interests as parliamentarians.