Buhari to African leaders: Shun foreign influence to develop continent

By Lawrence Olaoye

President Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned that African leaders must speak ‘with one voice’, independent of foreign influence, to achieve economic integration, development, peace, and security on the continent.
According to a statement made available by his Spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President said this while speaking at a bilateral meeting with President Alpha Conde of Guinea at the weekend in Istanbul, Turkey.
Buhari said leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The two Presidents, who met on the margins of the ninth D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
The President assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of AU that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.
In his remarks, Conde praised Nigeria’s leadership on the continent, particularly Buhari’s great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.
The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, where Guinea boasts of 25 percent or more of the world’s known bauxite reserves.