Olisemeka Faults Buhari's Proposed Meeting with Charles in UK

 

Elder statesman and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ignatius Olisemeka, has faulted the planned meeting between President Muhammadu  Buhari and Prince Charles in London, United Kingdom, this week.

President Buhari, who is on a week-long official visit to the UK, is expected to meet with the heir to the British throne before returning to Nigeria next Thursday.

Olisemeka, who spoke at the weekend in Abuja at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Course 11 30th anniversary re-union programme, wondered why Buhari should meet with Prince Charles at all in the first place.

He described as shameful the planned meeting which, according to him, ought to be with the Queen and not her son.

The former ambassador said: "According to news report, our president will be going, not to meet the Queen but her son. Don't we have any shame as a black people, as a black race, for a president going to see Prince Charles?"

Olisemeke stressed that it was high time the president of  the biggest country in Africa stop attending every summit he is invited to.

"We learnt that our president was on his way to United Kingdom to attend an African-UK summit where African leaders, including our president, were invited to. For what? For all I know, the time has passed when a president would be invited to a summit and he would respond by attending," he said.

Olisemeka cited the example of Britain pulling out of the European Union, but expressed surprise that Nigeria continue to attach itself to the apron string of Britain-the colonial master.

He said: "The Britons are on the verge of pulling out of the EU-their next of kin related to by blood-but we continue to attach ourselves to the same Britain which took our forefathers to slavery and eventually colonised Nigeria."

The former envoy, while emphasising the need for Nigeria to remain united, however, submitted that "our country was built on a rickety foundation, and at independence there were four legations in London reflecting the divisions in our country.

"These cleavages have widened and are widening after almost 60 years, and now steadily and insidiously spinning out of control.

"We must now reverse trend and recognise that now more than ever before; our country is in real danger. Perhaps, not as in much danger some of us think it is. We must not underestimate genuine efforts made to solve the problems. Regrettably, the core of the problems has so far defied lasting solution, but we must not give up."

Olisemeka, therefore, canvassed for equality of all in the distribution of the country's resources, saying: "We should not take advantage of our position to favour our own relations at the expense of those who are not our relations."

He enjoined the government at all levels "to share and distribute resources, projects, offices, rewards and punishments fairly and equitably to all sections of the country.

"We must curb personal and sectional greed which are some of the blocks we need to build our country with-a country where no one is oppressed."

Also speaking, former Senator, Olabiyi Durojaiye, advised the government  to place more emphasis on five major issues with a view to moving the country forward.

He listed the issues to include security, education, youth employment, power and agriculture.

The Afenifere chieftain specifically mentioned the security challenge facing the country and implored the government to do its best to address the issue.