‘Settle Your Problem At Home, Don’t Bring It To African Union’ – Obasanjo Tells Nigeria

Former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday said the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) Agreement will not be hindered by Nigeria’s reluctance to sign up to the process.

Obasanjo made the remark in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the opening session of the Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Continental Trade and Strengthening the Implementation of the AfCFTA.

The dialogue was organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA).

The former President was reacting to concerns raised by one of the discussants at the event, on the need for stakeholders to look into the implications of AfCFTA without Nigeria, the continent’s biggest economy.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Nigeria, Benin and Eritrea are the only countries yet to sign the AfCFTA agreement.

NAN also reports that the Agreement has achieved the number of ratification, 22 countries, needed for its implementation.

Obasanjo, who recalled that Nigeria took over the processes leading to the AfCFTA agreement from Egypt, wondered why it suddenly halted signing and was not even participating at the session.

He also recalled that Nigeria led the way at ministerial level, with the government ready to be in Kigali, Rwanda, to sign up to the agreement, before the sudden turnabout.

According to him, Nigeria should resolve its domestic intrigues and not bring such to the African Union table.

“It is nobody’s fault if your country cannot resolve its domestic problem.

“If you (Nigeria) is not signing the agreement, it is unfortunate. AfCFTA will go on without Nigeria.

“You will recall that this is the first time, since 1976, that Nigeria is not at the table of a major continental process.

“Nigeria should settle its problem at home and not bring it to the AU,’’ Obasanjo said.

The former President said Nigeria is known to always be on the driver’s seat of continental discussions and agreements, including the AU, ECOWAS and all their agencies.

Obasanjo, who is the chair of the CoDA Board of Directors, said feelers from the AfCFTA remain positive, while teething problems would be addressed in the course of time.

He said the meetings would be extended to other stakeholders, including Africa’s Central Banks, Customs and security agencies.

Obasanjo added that removal of trade barriers does not mean removal of other statutory agencies at various national border posts.

He, however, commended the issuance of visas at the point of entry by some African countries, saying the gesture was a positive step in the right direction toward movement of people across the continent.

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