THE president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has called for a united Africa under one president, one currency, one parliament, and one military command.
Delivering a keynote address at the Nigeria Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Enugu on Sunday, Malema asked African leaders to discard “colonial” boundaries and work towards a borderless continent that speaks with one voice.
“We demand one Africa, we demand a borderless Africa, we demand an Africa with one president, one currency, one military command, with one parliament,” Malema said in his speech at a ceremony attended by thousands of lawyers and other distinguished personalities.
“We know the currency of Africa will be much stronger against the American currency. We don’t care what Donald Trump or any other leader thinks of us. Africans must refuse to be subjects of others. We must stand together as the world changes and show the world that Africa is one and equal to all nations,” he added.
Africa is home to 54 recognised sovereign states, each with its own president or leader. However, Malema has challenged this and is seeking to consolidate leadership on the continent under a single African authority.
The 44-year-old South African politician rejected the portrayal of Africa as a “dark continent,” stressing that it is endowed with diamonds, minerals, and other resources that can drive prosperity.
“We are a shining nation. We must make sure that no single corner of Africa witnesses Africans killing each other. We must unite against the forces that seek to exploit us.
“The land belongs to Africans, and the minerals of Africa must be returned to Africans. We have the capacity to create industries and process our minerals here. We must never allow imperialist forces to divide us in order to take our wealth,” he said.
The Economic Freedom Fighters president called for visa-free movement across the continent, saying, “Africans should not need visas to visit one another.”a
Malema believes Africa’s salvation lies within the continent.
“Our salvation lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided,” the South African opposition leader said.
He identified Nigeria and South Africa as critical drivers of Africa’s industrialisation and growth, urging both countries to provide leadership for the continent’s development.
Malema hailed Nigeria for standing firmly with South Africa during the fight against apartheid and said both countries can lead the African Continental Free Trade Area to improve the lives of ordinary people.
The firebrand politician cautioned African nations against reckless borrowing, calling for stricter regulation of loans from the World Bank and other international lenders.
Addressing xenophobia that has trailed the continent for years, Malema insisted that Nigerians, Congolese, and Zimbabweans living in South Africa are not the cause of the country’s problems, describing the attacks as “a betrayal of African unity.”
“Xenophobia is a sickness borne of poverty, inequality, and government failure,” he argued.
“Africans must love themselves, not kill one another. Black people are not loved in Africa, and not loved abroad either, but we must learn to treat ourselves better.”