Buhari’s presidency will launch Nigeria back to greatness, says Senator-elect

HUMAN right activist and All Progressive Congress (APC) Senator-elect, Mallam Shehu Sani has said that retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency will launch Nigeria back to its enviable position as the leader of Africa and the black race.

Sani explained that currently the nation’s foreign policy was “coordinated, unfocused, uniformed, non directional and not colourful,” saying that the outgoing administration of President Goodluck Jonathan did not explore the influence of Nigeria in the global and continental arena.

Mallam Sani, who is the Senator-elect of the APC from Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone, argued that “under Jonathan, our leadership position in the continent slipped away,” adding, “President Jonathan operated a cassava bread foreign policy.”

“President Goodluck Jonathan administration foreign policy is dismal. Under Jonathan, Nigeria lost its teeth in the African Union, our president was absent at the 50th anniversary of the African Union, we were absent in the continental effort to find peace in the Central African Republic, Sudan and Congo; and we failed to take a driver’s seat to help the people of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea in the height of their Ebola days”.
“We betrayed the people of Palestine by abstaining in voting for their statehood in the UN, We helplessly watch as thousands of our African youths sink in the Mediterranean in attempts to cross over to Europe, we attracted condemnation from other African countries for depending on France to come and fight our homegrown terrorism in the northeast, we have no official position on the chaos in Libya and the dangerous presence of ISIS in the continent”.

However, the APC Senator elect said, “the new president elect, Buhari must reassert Nigeria’s leadership role in the continent”, stressing that “Africa should continue to be the center peace of our foreign policy.”
“We must have a result oriented and unambiguous position on pressing issues which affects our continent and the entire black race. President Buhari must rekindle the idea of United States of Africa and give a new life to Pan Africanism as propagated by the founding fathers of African independence Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Patrice Lumumba, Gamel Abdul Nasser and others.”

“The new president elect needs to set up a team of experts to work in consultation with the Nigerian institute of International affairs and council on foreign relations to repackage Nigeria’s foreign policy with the view of returning Nigeria to the world stage in leadership and in influence”.

Sani continued, “Our new foreign policy need to reflect the interest of our people and our continent and not an appeasement to any power. We need to be visibly seen and audibly heard in the world state again. President Muhammadu Buhari must lead in the consolidation or search for peace in the African continent, must lead in the global fight to end the presence of terrorists cells in the continent, must lead in discouraging and rescuing our young men and women drowning in the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better life in Europe.”

“Buhari’s election has brought relief and a new hope for our people and our country, we must radiate this to the whole continent. Africa must not be a safe heaven for tyrants and terrorists. We must champion the cause of the ideals of freedom, democracy, peace and development in the continent. Our economic relationship with China must be guided by the philosophy of mutual benefit and respect for the host and the environment.”

He also added, “President elect, Buhari must operate an open, transparent and accountable government so as to inspire other countries in Africa and help dissolve the remnants of dictators who still parades the political landscape of the continent.”