Recently there is a clamour by the controversial Libyan head of state that Africans should unite, do you think that these unification would work ?

Why do Africans or many Africans tend to copy others hook line and sinker without first of all knowing if what works for Europeans may or may not work for Africans ?

African leaders want to copy the Europeans by fusing all African countries into one nation, with one army, one currency and free movement of people and goods and with no international borders, without first of all studying how the union came to be in Europe. Europe has different cultures, worldviews, histories, political systems and institutions from that of the Africa. Something that worked for Europeans might not necessarily work for Africans. Moreover Europeans have a well developed telecommunication sectors, infrastructures, economic and political systems that stood the test of time. European countries did not evolve artificially like those in Africa.


Has anybody studied the problems the Europeans are going through because of the union?

The advanced European countries are regretting the unification in that with the open borders, the citizens of the poorer eastern European nations that belong to the union are flocking to the advanced western ones for jobs and “good life”, putting enormous pressure on the social amenities and the welfare system while bringing along with them different cultures and values, languages and behaviours with the attendant problems. The arrivees from the eastern European countries take away jobs from the host countries´ citizens by doing them at a fraction of the normal pay. Companies are there to make profits and will hire the cheap labour coming out from the once socialist countries that joined the European Union. Also, so many companies are now re-locating to the eastern European countries because of the cheap labour there, taking along with them jobs meant for the citizens of the advanced western European countries.


The European Union put the Turkish entry into the union on hold because of religious differences. Turkey is the only European nation that has Islam as the state religion and the other European nations are afraid of admitting Turkey because of the fear that the Moslems will unleash waves of terror across the whole continent if they have free movement through and fro the union. The European Union put further enlargement on hold; because, what they envisaged or bargained for in the first instance is not what they are getting. They are afraid that admitting more poor eastern European countries will aggravate already bad situation. So, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey etc must wait longer, because, if they are admitted now, it will have catastrophic effects on the economy and psyche of the more developed and rich European countries.


There is now an attempt by the European Union to negotiate the conditions under which to admit new countries and one of such conditions will be imposing visa restrictions on the new entrants so that their citizens won’t rush to the richer European countries to work below minimum wage. Germany and Britain are complaining because of the Polish invasion of their countries. Polish and Russian people are every where in London and many German cities, there are also the Czechs, Slovaks etc. Have the African leaders addressed this issue?


Will African unification ever work considering the huge differences in tribes, religious beliefs, and race ?

Why can't African leaders think of putting their nations in order and work hard to improve the lives of their respective citizens ?,  

Why are they proposing a disaster that would never work or sell to the most illiterate person in Africa?.    Instead of African leaders putting the different ethnic, religious, cultural groups in their different countries to unity so that they will work together towards the development of their respective nations, they are dreaming impossible dreams that might only afford them the opportunity of embezzling their countries fund on the pretext of working for the unification of Africa.


Due to the obvious fact that almost all the African countries are of artificial creations (people that had nothing in common hitherto were joined together by the colonial masters), since independence, each is at war within itself; whereby one ethnic group tries to dominate to the chagrin of the others and this leads to belligerency within African nations as ethnic groups take to bellicose measures in fighting for their rights making almost all African nations pugnacious in nature.


In the late 1980s, the political leaders of Senegal and Gambia created a false impression of their abilities to make the impossible work by fusing together and forming a country called Senegambia. This didn’t last two years before it came crumbling down like a pack of cards, because, each side was suspicious of the other.
Why can’t the African leaders learn from such experience?


Why are they clamouring for the unification of African states ?

Is the haste or manner by which this unification is being propelled a ploy to mask the failure of almost all the African leaders in providing solutions to the problems they are encountering in running their respective nations and their inability to improve the lives of their citizens ?.

Let us take Nigeria as an example: The Fulanis came down from North Africa hundreds of years ago and settled in northern part of Nigeria and have been lording it over all of us politically since then. There are clamouring for greater autonomy because we were lumped up together by the Brits upon that we had nothing in common hitherto the amalgamation of 1914.


Nigeria as a country is having ethnic, religious and cultural strife. Imagine what will happen when fifty three African countries with different ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, different cultural values, languages and worldviews join together in the name of imitating the Europeans who are also not finding their own union funny upon that they are well advanced than the Africans?

What is wrong with the Northern leaders of our country ? 

[b]The Sultan of Sokoto, a Fulani, made a careless statement capable of causing religious disharmony between the religious divide in the country. The Sultan had during a meeting of Northern emirs at the Arewa House in Kaduna expressed concern over the increasing missionary activities in the country and urged the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) to take steps to counter the development. The Emir should have known better. It is ugly that such remark could come from a highly placed individual like him. The Emir made a mess of the efforts of past and present administrations to forge inter-religious tolerance between Muslims and Christians. The statement debased his position. The Emir who was a Colonel in the Army before he came to the throne due to the death of his senior brother last year through plane crash should have cautioned his subjects against religious intolerance rather than making such a pathetic comment. When people that supposed to be preaching ethnic and religious harmony and understanding start preaching ethnic and religious hatred and animosity, there bound to be tension and anarchy; the Emir’s comment was preposterous. That’s Nigeria for you. [/b]

The call for closer tie between the African nations has been there since the formation of the OAU. That was the dreams of the Independent African founding fathers like Nkrumah, Azikiwe and others.


There is plethora of obstacles to its attainment. Look at Sudan where the attempt to unite Arabs and Black Africans within one state has caused a bitter race war that has lasted more than 50 years. The rest of Black Africa has much to learn from Sudan. The question is why are Black Africans not learning from Sudan's case ?

Sudan has been an experiment in Afro-Arab unification and it is a failure, that experience should put the final nail on the coffin of the African unification project. Can’t anybody see that there is ethnic cleansing going on in Sudan? I join in the call for the United Nations to intervene in the Dafur crisis. Genocide is going on there; the UN must intervene on behalf of over two million people who have been displaced over there.

It is also a shame on black muslims who refuse to condemn the genocide because they want to show solidarity to the Arabs who saw Africans as an inferior creation or who saw Black Africans as dirts.

The proposed unification raised more questions than it answered.


How do we know who an African is?

How do we define the real African Identity ?

Do Arabs in North Africa have more ties and affinity with Black Africans or with people of their colour of Arabia lands in mid and Far East?

Arabs have contempt for Blacks; there is a big chasm between Pan-Arabism and Pan-Africanism. The Arabs are all out to impose Islam on Africans and to Arabnise all of Black Africa.


What will be the major religion? Will Muslims accept to be ruled by non-Muslims?

Has anybody addressed the issue of tyranny, tribalism, mutual distrust and corruption and how they can be stopped?

It will be difficult to unite a tribal fragmented continent when the leaders of the fifty three countries of Africa are finding it impossible to unite their own people. Unity and peace will be elusive, because, every country will have its national interest and agenda to propagate.

The Arabs for intent and purposes still dream about spreading their Islamic culture all over Africa even by force through the sword. A clear example is what is going on right now in Sudan. The Arabs still see the real black Africans as being inferior. So how can you be in the same country with them?

Another issue is that of the military! Who will lead it and from which country?

People should stop creating problems for themselves. Every African country has overwhelming economic, political, cultural and social problems. Let the leaders tackle their respective national problems before create a monster that will devour them all.

There is no way Africans will entrust the task of fashioning out the best way to exist in a single country to a bunch of miscreants and mad men that called themselves leaders like Ghadafi, Mugabe, Kabila etc.


Ghadafi was quoted recently as saying that “Africa must unite or die”. This is a bark of a mad dog. Ghadafi believes in the inferiority of the black Africans. He insulted and provoked Nigeria so many times in words and actions. He visited Nigeria in the mid 1990s with only female security personnel numbering more than two hundred and armed to the teeth. When asked why only women security personnel? He answered that “Nigeria is a big for nothing country” as there is no need to bring his male security personnel.

In 1990s, Ghadafi sent one of his submarines into Nigerian territorial waters (infact it is alleged that the sub came under upto Marina Lagos´ sea front) without permission and Nigerian Navy failed to detect this flagrant violation of our territorial integrity because our Navy got no submarine or the capability to detect underwater invasion (why can’t Nigeria Navy acquire at least one submarine?). The Libyan submarine stayed days in our waters and left and as it got to the international waters, the submarine crew radioed the Nigerian Navy thanking Nigeria for harbouring them without permission and without detection. This is Ghadafi preaching for unification now. Does he have an ulterior motive ?.

The big question is do Nigeria and infact Africa in general need the proposed United States of Africa..

The big question is : Will United States of Africa  work ? ( a funny amalgam of Native Africans(blacks), Arabs (people who invaded Africans continent and occupied it by force) and the whites (people who invaded African continent and occupy it force because of African natural resources) ).

Please lets discuss or lets engage in dialogue ?

UNited States of Africa

Sigh!!!! We are yet to have individual countries that can handle the day to day work of making sure the citizens can live decent lives we are already working on a united states of Africa? GOD HAVE MERCY ON US ALL!!!

Good discussion by the poster.

Well written and researched piece. The problems of EU may not be exactly the same as that of a United Africa.

One advantage I can see(at least in theory) is that having a United Africa may help dissolve the artificial boundries created by Europeans as they carved up Africa late last century.

If I may use the Nigerian example like you; the present lack of infrastructural development, high level of corruption, ethnic disintegration, etc can not lead us to real development as a nation.

If the ethnic groups that have existed for thousands of years before the arrival of the Arabs and the Europeans are allowed and encouraged to form semi-autonomous nations of their own, you would see healthy competition, peace, and an ultimate realization that unity and peaceful co-existence with other groups is good.

The Yorubas for example have a sizable group in Nigeria and the Benin Republic, empowering them to develop as one entity would ultimately weaken the Nigerian and Benin republics on the short run, but will strenghten the Yoruba nation on the long run.

Same rule appplies to other ethnic groups who should be allowed to grow and develop.
As unitary enities, these groups would ultimately build the foundation for a strong Africa.

African would become stronger if allowed to develop from ground-up, and not from top-bottom as we have in Nigeria today.

I know and appreciate the very many problems inherent in a United Africa, but we should at least talk about it, otherwise we run the risk perpetually serving the super-sized nations of India, China, Europe, and America.

when we africans ever have an 'orginal in thinking'?

United state of africa?

what an idle talk (copyright; Oyi of Oyi)

@focused

I addressed most of your issues in my write up. There is no question that there are huge problems, but considering the consequences of not doing anything, you would understand why I said we should at least talk about it.

focused:

To Kobojunkie and Naija King:

Thanks for responding to my post.

Well I doubt the prospects of a united states of Africa for the following reasons :

African countries or states did not evolve naturally. It was an artificial amalgam created by the Europeans who came to colonise us.

There lots of distrusts amongst tribes, of which no tribe will want another tribe to come and dominate them. infact there is a great ethnic division

There is a great religious divide

The infrastructure is not developed.

There is a serious poverty amongst its citizens.

Serious corruption.

Also race division. The Arabs who are occupying the Northern Africa will never allow native Africans to rule them because they see blacks as inferior human beings, and some don't even see blacks as human beings.

Also they would want to impose their agenda on us. Take a look at what is going on in Sudan, and the serious ethnic cleansing that is going on there.

Those and more happen to be my very argument against the so called UNITED STATES OF AFRICA PROPOSAL @Focused.

We have so far not shown ourselves capable of managing structures as they are now, I doubt we are ready to manage things on a larger scale.

We have discussed this issue at length some months ago.

The UNION OF AFRICAN NATIONS will be great if we do things the right way. Just like somebody talked about re-uniting the Yorubas in Nigeria with those Benin Republic, I will also mention the re-union of the Adamawa people in Nigeria with those in Cameroon.

What is going to happen is that we are going to make all the pre-colonization Empires of Africa new Nations.


Who says that the North Africans will not allow the Southerners rule? It is going to be rotational and besides, everyone will maintain their national identity.


The Union of African Nations will just be a stronger consolidation of the AU.

Whilst your statements might hold logic for not creating a United States of Africa, it lacks creative understanding why it should be created. It is easier to put forward an explanation or argument for not advancing a change, mostly due to fear of the unknown and also when there is unsolved dissatisfaction of the present, but that should not discourage to see the opportunities that such change might bring. The problem with the EU is that the relevant states still want to maintain their long established histories and identities whilst within a group; just like the AU. But the United States of Africa means something totally different, and to be honest Africa, or some part of it is ripe for such notion, because we have lost our own identities and mostly histories, so what is the point still holding unto mere identities that we cannot fully explain or own. If that is the case that most of our histories had been lost, which is the case, we should let go of those things that separate us and embrace a new idea, an idea which embraces all of us, so that we can all start writing another chapter in the continent’s history. I know there are challenges, but to be honest, which continent is out there that doesn’t have its issues about race, religion and ethnicity…even some through history (like the USA) had gone to wars in order to define their unity as we know of them today…even our own civil war was for that purpose; disregarding any other motives. As a United States of Africa, we are stronger as a continent (with massive resources – culture, songs, food, arts, commodities, and so many I can’t even start to comprehend because so much are still unknown to me and many others) to export out, to redefine us, to build upon for the benefit of the union. The job opportunities and development of the continent will progress at a pace for the interest of everyone. The idea that a country enjoys electricity and the other doesn’t will be absurd. We all enjoy it all, or find ways at which we can all enjoy it all. There are many concepts, ideas, issues, histories, religion, but most of all ethnicity that divide us at the moment, as long as we hold unto the formation of the unity or its idea and work steadily, devotedly towards its success, those things will fade away down history…but to not attempt it, those things will always remain and constantly dividing us. I know it is not a simple undertaking, it would take years to even get it started…but it is something or an idea we should be communicating to our children, something we should not be afraid of because of the present situations around us, because that is the future for us as a continent. To conclude why it is in our best to have such union, ok…we owe it to millions of our brothers and sisters that have lost their heritages and identities because their forefathers and mothers had been victims to the slave trade. By creating such union, we give them back what is lost…we give them an identity, a place to call home…and hope; not just for them but for all of us. I will not let the frustration, prejudice, corruption, injustice of the long present days erode away the dream of Zion as my R.I.P brother Bob Marley preached in many of his songs especially ‘Africa unite’, just like many others (Malcolm X).

We do not need any crappy united whatever

United ke, with liabilities like Somalia. . War and hunger. Hungry people that like wars. Abeg dey look face before you make up suggestions. We are already dealing with the nigerien menace.

2mch:

United ke, with liabilities like Somalia. . War and hunger. Hungry people that like wars. Abeg dey look face before you make up suggestions. We are already dealing with the nigerien menace.

Funny but baffling, I do not really understand what those people are fighting over. Is it desert sand, can it now be exported?

People can only but unite under the same concept. The minds come together when they work at the same pace. The more africans become aware of what the game is all about the more they unite and project as a formidable force. There is strength in agreeable numbers

The KING OF AFRICA is gone . . . so who will take his place? Mugabe ?? ROFLMAO!!!

Kobojunkie:

The KING OF AFRICA is gone . . . so who will take his place? Mugabe ?? ROFLMAO!!!

Gone to where

We can create a world that belongs to us.Spin the spin,create the creations and make the rules built solely on one thing- universal fairness. We dont have to live with others idles and imaginations,living like people without history.

blink182:

Gone to where

Since he is no longer president of Libya, una go still install am as King of US of Africa??

Do you ever watch the charity aids appeal adverts on TV with scarecrow looking african children and their helpless parents? How does it make you feel? Does it make you feel like a nigerian,an african or a blackman? The shame of one is for us all and the pride one is for us all too.

I don't know why people think topics like this are even worth a discussion. The answer is No.

Can we get a truly united Nigeria first?

Ghadaffi thought that up because he couldnt overrun us with his tiny army (yes tiny, we would have made short work of them. Ask Chad what Gen Buhari did to them).

Its a serious waste of useful time.

I would rather we work on integrating transport, electricity and having some common policies. but a single entity? Capital N to the O. NO

small minded people, maybe you should open your minds to reasons rather than the usual deteriorating banter, we've a long, very long road to go as long as we have people like you around, sort out Naija out first ?, so small minded, can't you see that the problem with Nigeria is that we try to carry on with the restrictions and limitations bestowed upon us through colonisation, a group of people living within a geographical area forced to work and live together, trying to share the limited resources, due to this, especially this, there will be corruption, injustice and so on, because a tribe, out a logical paranoia will do anything and everything not to be left out, in order to guarantee the continuation of its tribe and heritage, but as a United States of Africa, who cares really of your previous tribe, there will be only one, Africa, within it, you can then define your own heritage not at the expense of the other, really there will be no Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Somalia as we know of them now, they will be known as states rather countries, and within the states just like many other states in the world, there are different ethnicities, languages, cultures and so on within them. Administration of such magnitude concept is where the fear of change should come from, but just like anything else in the world, it can be done, with the right minds, directions, understanding and so on, it can surely be done, it is the future, or we can remain within the restrictions levied on us by the past (which is working to the best interest of the western world, in order to maintain their own prejudice against black people, hence the trade restrictions and so on) and keep on complaining all the days of our lives, waiting for someone else or God to help us improve our own lives. The idea will not happen tomorrow, but it is worth keeping in mind, especially if we really want to deal with the ethical problems surrounding us, little drops of water make the mighty ocean, so the success of it really starts with an individual ready to embrace other cultures and languages without fear of exploitation, maybe it is a dream, but a dream worth keeping alive, because the success of it, will be a better stepping stone in humanity future.

It wont, trust me, [img]http://2.s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]
[img]http://s07.flagcounter.com/count/DymW/bg=E6E6E5/txt=E6E6E5/border=E6E6E5/columns=1/maxflags=1/viewers=3/labels=0/[/img]

@ marcus1234
why

It wont work because it is an idea built on shaky legs. it assumes that africa's problem is a tribal one not one of corruption. You keep assuming that nigeria's problem is the fault of one tribe vying against the other and yet you are so narrow-minded that you cant see that you are imputing a symptom as a cause.

Tribes will not strive against each other if there's no corruption involved. Its not about boundary lines. Thats the same mistake Biafranatics are making.

Our problems at this current stage, will still exist irrespective of whatever political entity we create as long as we dont solve the underlying problem with the rule of law.

Yes, we need to make nigeria strong before we start making noise about african integration.

If our politicians cant tar simple roads, how can we expect them to help realise the fruits of greater african integration?

Apparently, the African Union was bankrolled by Ghaddafi. Now that he is gone, there is not much money left in the AU coffers. ROFL

Kobojunkie:

Apparently, the African Union was bankrolled by Ghaddafi. Now that he is gone, there is not much money left in the AU coffers. ROFL

to paraphrase ralph waldo emerson: Nature does not suffer to live that which cannot fend for itself.
Its actually a blessing. Now the AU and constituent countries will have to learn to stand on their own.

Nigeria still has many problems as a nation with her corrupt leaders likewise many African countries but i dont tink dat should serve as deterrent if we really want to free ourselves from western imperial web