NAN-H-19
Secession
By Victor Asije
Lagos, Oct.16, 2017(NAN) African leaders must begin to address complaints of political inequality, inequitable distribution of resources and poor governance, to end the rising demands for secession in African countries.
A Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Dr Joshua Bolarinwa, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
Speaking against the backdrop of the increasing demands by some groups for self-determination, Bolarinwa warned that unless the problems were addressed, ethnic nationalities in African countries would continue to demand for secession.
He named other problems common with leaderships in African countries as persistent electoral irregularities and poor governance.
The researcher said that it had become imperative for African leaders to tackle the problems or risk having ethnic nationalities in their countries wanting to go their separate ways.
According to him, African leaders have over the years, continued to only identify problems, without offering lasting solutions.
He, however, lauded African leaders, who had continued to manage agitations that could result to secession in their countries, citing the efforts being made by the Nigerian government to hold the country together.
“There is no doubt that different sections and regions across the world have reasons for their agitations.
“But, what has been so important is the way they had been managed and are being managed.’’
Bolarinwa argued that only “political restitution’’ would address the problem of groups opting for secession in African countries.
“There are today different forms of agitations in different countries of the world but latest agitations in some African countries are quite alarming.
“The trend is becoming alarming by the day as many of these agitators are alluding to marginalization.
“Marginalization has continued to be the major reason for people wanting to secede.
“There are currently agitations, due to inequalities, inequitable distribution of resources, non-inclusion in government and several other reasons across Africa.
‘’So, African leaders need to urgently embark on what I would call a political restitution so as to be able to address the complaints of these agitators across the continent.
“In other words, what you have done wrongly as a leader, please go back and correct them,’’ the research fellow said. (NAN)
AVU/CHOM/SN
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Edited By Chioma Ugboma/Silas Nwoha