Although, President Buhari’s recent trip to the Zulu-Land
proved to be a major success, achieving various variables of concerns which
include, a 10 year visa for Nigeria/South-African Businessmen and Education
seekers, upgrading the 20 year Bi-National Commission to be presided over by
both Presidents rather than Vice-Presidents, and an Initiation of the “Early
Warning Mechanisms” which will be an alarm to both countries warning them of
any perceived restiveness amongst her peoples, just to mention a few. This trip
was inspired by the recent killings of few Africans (including Nigerians) by some
South-Africans who claim they want foreigners to leave their country. According
to Nigeria’s Presidential aide, Garba Shehu, 32 agreements and Memoranda of
Understanding had been signed at the Bi-National Commission, which is mutually
beneficial to both nations, authorized by the Head of States.
The Bi-National commission represents a special relationship between the both Nations who are the Economic Powerhouse of Africa, sharing a common interest to strengthen Economic Ties. This commission was established in 1999 after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, showing respect to the role of Nigeria during and after the Apartheid regime. However, both Nations have struggled to live up to expectations of being the relatively better economies in Africa. Nigeria have struggled to provide jobs and enabling environment for her people while South Africa have done better in terms of Job provision and enabling environment but some of her peoples have refused to take advantage of it, rather they blame influx of foreign Nationals hereby slowing down South-Africa’s progress. South-Africa has a huge business interest in Nigeria like MTN and Mutichoice to mention a few while Nigeria has an overwhelming concentration of SME’s (Small Medium Enterprise) in South-Africa. As much as this should be a basis for optimism, this is not the case for both Nations as they have seemingly refused to live in harmony with one another. What are the challenges?
Just after the Apartheid, South-African Authorities had
failed to sensitize the people from survival mentality to that of harnessing opportunities
for development. In the words of a Nigerian returnee aboard Geoffrey Onyema’s
Air peace, “Average South-Africans are lazy, indolent and spoit, they don’t
want to work and prefer to do drugs all day”. Meanwhile, the need for more expertise
by the South African Government after the Apartheid allowed for influx of
Foreign Nationals into the country, some of who began to initiate organized
crime and drug cartels/syndicates hereby doing more harm than good to citizens.
Hence, it is clear the problem emanates from behavioural ineptness rather than
mere conflict. To solve this, there should be campaign for Positive
Re-orientation of the African mind across the continent, in which Government
authorities will be highly involved.
Africans must learn to desist from the “I can have my way at
anytime mentality”, we must learn to respect the laws of our land and foreign
lands, we must train our mind to love and cater for one and other, we must
desist from an entitlement mentality to a welfarist one, we must genuinely see
the progress of Africa as ours and we must seek to know the culture and
tradition of our distinctive self’s. In all this, the Government will play a
major role; they will be the Corel Draw on which these designs will be drafted.
African Governments must prioritize ‘accountability’, including people censorship. They must take conscious steps to uplift the citizens from their state of redundancy by providing them with the means and opportunities to make wealth. Government must empower citizens even when they have nothing doing, this way they are able to monitor individual progress strictly as when they get something doing their need changes. Government should find a way to harmonize concerns of citizens with government policies. African Governments should address secessionist tendencies across the continent in order to achieve synergy of purpose. Lastly, African governments should begin to make youths the Bulls Eye (Target) of development revolution in the Continent.