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Address by His Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Conference on Solidarity with Africa, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA, September 21, 2003
Reverend Father Malloy, President of the University of Notre Dame, Archbishops and Bishops, Representatives of the Governments of the United States and Nigeria, The Faculty and Students of the University of Notre Dame, Participants at the Conference on Solidarity with Africa, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I bring you fraternal greetings from the people of the African continent in general and from the Government and people of Nigeria in particular. I appreciate your inviting me to address you on this occasion when you have gathered together to reflect on the ways you can be in solidarity with Africa .
There are a few reasons why I felt that this event was sufficiently important to warrant my personal presence. First of all, the people of Nigeria recall with deep appreciation how successive United States governments, together with the good people of this country, have been with us during some of the most difficult and checkered periods of our national history. We cannot forget in a hurry those demonstrations in support of justice, democracy and freedom, at a time when basic rights were being denied most Nigerians by the most tyrannical regime in our recent history. Secondly, these are difficult days for Africa , and that is putting it mildly. Thus, whenever an opportunity such as this presents itself to us to speak about our continent and to draw attention to the promise and plight of Africa , we try not to let it slip through our fingers. We wholeheartedly salute the efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria and all those who organized this conference and provided sponsorship for it.
Only during the first week of this month did the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria send me this goodwill message during their Conference: "We deliberated during our meeting on the Church's mission in Nigeria and renewed our resolve to contribute to the growth and development of our nation and especially the sanctification of our people in order to enhance their role in building a more just and peaceful Nigeria. We remain open to collaborating with Government in all areas that will improve the life and future of all the peoples of Nigeria and turn our country into a land where truth and justice reign." This is a clear indication of the partnership for development that we are forging between the Church and the Government in Nigeria .
I am pleased to note that this Conference here today is the beginning of an initiative whose second phase is slated to take place in Nigeria . It marks an historic moment for the Catholic Church in the United States and its relation with Africa , where the Catholic Church has a very large following. Furthermore, this is the first time in your long history, that you have an illustrious descendant of Africa as the President of the American Catholic Bishops Conference. Your Excellency, Bishop Wilton Gregory, I bring you our personal good wishes from Africa. I am particularly pleased to be here in the hallowed precincts of this historic university, dedicated to the Holy Mother of Jesus. From the days of its founding, over one hundred and sixty years ago, this institution has sought to protect the rights of the less privileged. Yesterday, it was the poor immigrant from Europe who was helped to find a voice by receiving the education he needed to take his rightful place in American society and in the world. Today, your institution is known for its academic excellence as well as its achievements in sports. It is our sincere hope that this University and the Bishops Conference will find a way to continue to keep Africa's case current within the American society, including the Church, and that the initiative you have begun with this Conference will be continued in some significant and permanent way.
In the period available to me, I wish to share with you my thoughts on the state of the continent of Africa today. I wish to draw your attention to the nature of the wind of change that is blowing across our continent. I will also draw your attention to the nature of our own struggle to lay a foundation for the rebirth of a new Nigeria in particular and a new Africa in general. By placing these challenges before you, I am hopeful that the moral voice of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the United States of America can give focus and urgency to the need to help to put our continent back on track.
When we look back at what we have been through as a people, we all know that, although historically, the African has been formed on the crucible of pain and suffering, we can say, in the words of St. Paul, "We have proved to be more than conquerors." Despite our pain and suffering, the continent has remained a continent of faith and joy, celebrating life even when all seems hopelessly lost.
Judging from the contents of the Pastoral Letter, A Call to Solidarity with Africa , which the Bishops of this country issued on November 14, 2001 , I honestly feel that in many respects, I may be preaching to the converted. The following words from the Pastoral Letter are indeed apt: "From the earliest days of our nation, people of African descent contributed so much, playing major roles in the defense of democracy, and in social, cultural, economic and spiritual development of the United States . We also acknowledge the sad fact that the evil institution of slavery played a significant role in the development of our country. Citizens of African descent continue to play an integral role in defining American identity and in promoting the common good. For these reasons, the United States has a clear moral duty to adopt policies and support programs that encourage integral human development and long-tern economic growth for the poorest countries, with particular attention to sub-Saharan Africa . This is not just a policy option; it is a moral obligation."
I may just hasten to add that while the evil institution of slavery and slave trade played a significant role in the development of the United States, it played a not-insignificant role in under-developing the African continent, thus making the United States' moral obligation a double one.
Let me say that African leaders are fully aware of the responsibility to put their house in order. We will - as we should - remain the masters of our destiny. We are determined to be the architects of our fortune. And I am pleased to report that we have been so applying ourselves in the last few years. For instance, the majority of African countries have chosen the democratic option. Indeed, totalitarianism and military governance are no longer an option for African countries. In the last three months, we have firmly said "No" to military incursions into politics in Sao Tome , Liberia and Guinea Bissau. Various African countries have embarked on prudent fiscal and economic policies that in time should reduce poverty and generally raise the standard of life. African countries are spending more on education for their young and healthcare for all. As you may be aware, the umbrella organization for our continent, the Organization of African Unity, has transformed in the African Union, with a renewed vision and reinvigorated determination to turn the continent around by strategically repositioning her for due relevance in the global context.
Before the transformation of OAU to the AU, African leaders had established a conceptual framework for addressing the problems of our continent by setting up the New Partnership for Africa 's Development, NEPAD.
No sooner was NEPAD born than the critics drew out their swords. Among other things, the critics accused NEPAD of being a Trojan horse for the strengthening of neo-colonialism. We have since realized that much of the criticism is riddled with the virus of Afro-pessimism, that has for too long infected the vision of hope for Africa. We believed that, rather than spending too much time on the Book of Lamentations, moaning Africa 's woes and lapsing into Africa self pity, we would do well to move quickly to the book of Revelation, where the seeds of the promise of a rebirth lay.
NEPAD was born out of our appreciation of the profound implications of the continent entering into a new millennium with high hopes. We considered that it was an imperative for Africa to develop a common vision and a shared conviction about why we must act immediately to rescue out continent.
The following stark realities informed out thinking:
• One hundred and forty out of every one thousand African children die before the age of five;
• Life expectancy in Africa has shrunk to age fifty;
• Literacy rate for our children aged fifteen is a mere forty-one percent;
• The Aids prevalence in Africa is the highest in the world; and
• Malaria, small pox, tuberculosis and other preventable diseases still ravage the continent.
NEPAD is a comprehensive political, social and economic package designed to expedite the development and advancement of Africa . NEPAD's essence is peace and security on the continent based on democratic principles, good governance and due regard for human rights. NEPAD is to provide the underpinnings of fruitful cooperation and partnership among Africans themselves and between Africa and the rest of the world. NEPAD's core premise is that a lifeline thrown to a drowning person is worth more for the person's survival than all the food and kind words in the dictionary.
We in Africa are convinced that NEPAD offers us an opportunity to identify out resources and find out how best to channel them for the growth and development of our continent and our people. At the same time, we aim to use NEPAD to create a bridgehead through which Africa can optimally benefit from the goodwill and support of our development partners abroad. So far, we have been heartened by the very positive response from the rest of the world, particularly the G8, the United Nations and other international organizations.
Nigeria
On May 29, 1999 , when our Administration was first inaugurated, there was a general feeling of relief that, at last, the country has transited from night into day. Hardly anyone in the country disputed the reality that the preceding years had been the darkest in our recent history, such that there was rampant prediction of the worst, including the demise of the nation.
This was the backdrop against which we took up the challenge of leadership that had but one choice of action: to bring about a rebirth of our nation! We were conscious of the extent to which our people, individually and collectively, had been humiliated and traumatized in the hands of tyranny. Many Nigerians had paid the ultimate price with their lives, as basic freedoms, normally taken for granted elsewhere, were systematically and brutally denied. As an organized society, maladministration had taken its toll, with the most basic infrastructure totally in ruins, and with the society badly suffering from acute deficit of social capital pertaining to trust in governance and leadership.
After campaigning for - and obtaining - the mandate of the people on the slogan of "The Government You Can Trust", we took stock of the reality, we declared war against the decay, and we opened battle on the many fronts of its manifestations.
Materially, I am pleased to report that many Nigerians feel better off and are acknowledging the benefits of democracy dividend. Also, for the purpose of this audience, I am glad to note that we have succeeded in burying the image of Nigeria as a pariah nation. We have resumed our honorable status among the comity of nations. And we are proud to be hosting two major international events this year, namely, the All-Africa Games and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The battle is still raging against the twin evils of inefficiency and corruption in our system. We have recorded major successes here, but we still have some distance to go. Let me tell you what I continue to repeat to Nigerians: Corruption is anti-ethical to development, and we will in no way relent our efforts to eradicate corruption!
Reflective of the new dedication to reformation for growth, stability, peace and development in Africa , we in Nigeria have put in place concrete policies and institutions designed to contain corruption, block financial leakages and promote accountability. These include an anti-corruption commission, a due process mechanism, an economic and financial crimes commission and increased support for the judiciary and the police. We have also made the campaign against corruption a central part of our policy processes, including on-going work on a fiscal responsibility bill.
To bring our economy out of the woods and improve the quality of lives of our people we have stepped up the process of privatizing inefficient enterprises; begun a contributory pension program; a rapid infrastructural rehabilitation; the monetization of benefits to public servants; and reforms in the public service. These and other policies are designed to reform the socio-economic environment conducive to attracting investors and investments in Nigeria . I will enjoin all friends of Nigeria to be part of our reform process.
The successful election in Nigeria , and the subsequent peaceful civilian-to-civilian transition of government last May, demonstrated that democracy has indeed taken root in the country. For our Administration, the renewed mandate is a clear endorsement of our leadership vision and policy priorities by the electorate. Thus emboldened, we have since announced the mentioned far-reaching reform programs that, by the Grace of God, should consolidate the gains of the previous four years, thoroughly sanitize our social system and firmly set Nigeria on the path of sustainable development and prosperity.
Tragically, the last four years witnessed a spate of rather violent ethnic and religious conflicts in Nigeria . The root causes of most of these crises go back to persisting fears and anxieties about domination that have featured in much of the recent history of our nationhood. Sustained military dictatorship, by denying people freedom of expression, suppressed the dialog within the society. The end of non-democratic governance has opened up a floodgate of expectations that were often expressed acrimoniously. However, as we have observed, democracy by itself is the only viable means of dousing the tension and promoting harmony, since its principles recognize equality of all citizens while providing for freedom of expression as a basis of meaningful dialog, purposeful discussion and fruitful deliberation.
Let me assure you that, with patience and dedication, we are putting our country back on track. Nigeria cannot afford to fail because it is widely acknowledged that the progress and fate of Africa in many respects is contingent on what happens to Nigeria and how she conducts herself. This explains our recent initiatives outside our shores.
For over ten years, Nigeria has been working hard to ensure peace in the West African sub-region. We started off with ECOMOG in 1992 when the first war broke out in Liberia . Between that year and 1999, we spent over 12 billion US dollars on peace-keeping in both Liberia and Sierra Leone , and scores of our citizens lost their lives in the process. All that notwithstanding, the situation in Liberia deteriorated so badly recently that we decided to act - since the international community was reluctant to take steps to stop the carnage. I am pleased to say that we have been able to lay a foundation for effective peace-keeping in Liberia .
As you continue this dialog on solidarity with Africa , I want to suggest a few ways I think the rest of the world can be in solidarity with Africa :
First, try to keep Africa on the discussion table along with other continents and regions. Do not write us off or ignore our success stories and our peculiar challenges. It cannot be defended on any basis for ten percent of the world population to be ignored or written off. Try to take us seriously as a continent of people with equal dignity and humanity.
Second, join us in advocating for debt reduction for African countries. The Jubilee Movement gathered momentum with debt forgiveness being its focus. Unfortunately, despite so many meetings and initiatives, the issue of the indebtedness of Africa remains unresolved. The fact of the matter is that much of this debt has been repaid several times over, yet many countries remain severely indebted to donor nations to the detriment of their people and their future. Some comparative scale of the amounts involved may help illustrate painful absurdities of the debt situation. As has been pointed out several times, Africa 's total indebtedness is far less that the amount spent annually on cosmetics in the United States . Yet everyone knows that for a continent where many live on less than a dollar a day every available cent counts as a matter of life and death. In the case of Nigeria , we are under pressure to service out debts by an amount that is eight times the budgetary provision for healthcare. It would be no exaggeration to say that the debt burden is killing Africa ! The situation calls for urgent and concerted effort in order to ensure that things do not get worse than they are in Africa . This is the alarm that we hope participants at this conference will resound far and wide until, we hope, it rings loud and clear in the appropriate circles for effective action.
Third, kindly visit Africa . What you know, you tend to love and appreciate. Encourage others to visit Africa and to invest their time and resources for tangible returns in material and spiritual terms. There is sowing to be done in Africa , and a bumper harvest to be reaped.
Let me conclude with the words of the Holy Father himself: "If we want peace, we must work for justice." Injustice breeds violence and insecurity for all concerned. Peace is the ultimate prize for humankind: peace within the individuals, peace within communities, peace within nations and peace in the entire world. We welcome this Conference as solidarity for peace and justice in Africa in particular, and solidarity for global peace and harmony in general. Let us all work for peace. But, above all, let us pray to Almighty God for His peace, which passes all human understanding, to be in our hearts, in our lives and in our world.
May God's peace be with you all.
I thank you.