The Libyan leader Gaddafi wants the unification process of Africa to be as fast as possible. Though not everyone of the African leader gathered recently in Addis Ababa, for the African Union summit, would agree with him about the speed of the process.
Reporter Ewanfoh Obehi Peter review the situation and the political debate.
Like an ambitious man, he seized power through military coup d’état 40 years ago. And has since then remained the lord of the North African country of Libya. With their pool of oil reserve, there certainly was enough to keep the system running, only that, his decision to control the resource instead of allowing the West an upper hand like it is in many African countries was not seen as a very good development by some Westerners.
The English Longman dictionary and culture in its description of states did not stop by saying that Libya is a Northern African country. Rather, it went further to add that it’s generally hostile to the West.
But just recently, the same Western countries have shifted from attacking their famous Libya to partnering with her. The Mediterranean neighboring country, Italy, and the United States of America have already started to mend their relationship with Libya. After all, the policy of exclusion can only worsen things, both in political and economic angle.
According to the AFP news agency, Gaddafi was reported yesterday to have raised an uncharacteristic praise on the new US president, Barack Obama. Something nobody could have expected few months ago.
In any case, if leadership is about the people, Muammar Gaddafi should more or less be considered a model for many African countries, because where there are millions of Nigerians in Europe begging for some demeaning jobs and receiving all manner of insult from people who could barely live better than them if they had a people oriented leader, Libyan citizens are living well and enjoying a sense of pride in their own country, even though their natural resource is far lower than what is obtainable in Nigeria.
Some Africans may have been convinced that they are more democratic than Libya, but that hasn’t stopped Gaddafi from having a direct dealing with the European Union.
Of what importance is any type of government if it fails to take up a responsibility for its people?
More like a joke, Gaddafi was recently elected to lead the one time Organization of African Unity which was later changed to African Union. Of course, the objective is clear: uniting the people who are the most scattered and discriminated against in the world. The fact is that when united, Africa will become one of the most powerful states on earth.
It’s obviously a huge project, yet Muammar Gaddafi, one of the African leaders who are so enthusiastic about the mission wanted to move as fast as possible. He wanted to get the full support of other African leaders at the three days summit in Addis Ababa. But some key states like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia are against the rush. Though the new president of the union who felt it was the right time to unite Africa later walked out of the discussion, it didn’t make them to change their view that a gradual process would lead to more success in the monumental project.
The story is just beginning. The new leader tried to remind the African youths yesterday that the future is in their hands, to push for African unity. The coming months will explain how the Africans react to the dream of their fathers within the contest of the present circumstance.
Ewanfoh Obehi Peter
Photo by: Ewanfoh Obehi Peter
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