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Sanusi canvases review of world economic order to check migration

By Bridget Chiedu Onochie, Abuja
01 August 2018   |   4:19 am
The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has called for a review of the current economic world order to curb migration, especially by Africans.

Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II

The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has called for a review of the current economic world order to curb migration, especially by Africans.

The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor made the appeal yesterday while chairing the inauguration of the Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN) in Abuja.

Sanusi decried that the current arrangement is skewed in favour of Europe and other developed countries, thereby making them attractive to citizens of less-developed nations.

According to him, the West, through the trade liberalisation policy, exploits Africa by developing their countries with resources from the continent.

He said: “We have a composition in the world whereby in the last three decades, we have been talking about removal of all barriers to the movement of capital.

“But I feel a little upset when I see African leaders going to Europe and sit down to talk of how to stop the migration of labour which is not an African problem really.

“It is a European problem which was created partly by the world order.

The revered traditional ruler alleged that the trade liberalisation policy had set up an international environment that impoverishes half of the world with some persons supplying raw materials of imported or finished goods.

Sanusi went on: “We set up the world system that transfers resources of Africa to the rest of the world.

Are we surprised that we have poverty, insecurity and some people moving from this part of the world to others to seek for better life?

“What I would like is to see a conversation on migration that is part and parcel of a wider discussion of the world order on what the globe can do to develop Africa.

“When we go and sit with the president of France, let us not talk about how many guns or soldiers they can give us. But let’s talk about how many solar panels that can be built in the Sahel to generate electricity and create industry and jobs to stop people from seeking greener pasture in Europe and other parts of the world.

“I speak as an economist but I don’t see how we can conduct a foreign policy without having these economic conversations.”

He berated Nigeria and South Africa for refusing to sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The president of AFRPN, Ambassador Gani Lawal, said the association would raise a credible think-tank for the people and government.

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