It is an honour and a pleasure to join you today to celebrate the 40th anniversary of what I consider to be one of Nigeria’s, and indeed Africa’s, finest newspapers.
This milestone not only marks four decades of journalistic excellence. It also symbolises the enduring power of the press in shaping societies and fostering an informed citizenry. The Guardian has done that and more in Nigeria over the last 40 years.
Four decades ago, as a young man finding my way in the world, I fondly remember picking up a copy of The Guardian for the very first time on February 27, 1983, for the princely price of 20 kobo. There was something special about the publication that immediately lit up Nigeria’s media scene.
The Guardian was exceptionally well written and researched. It brought together some of the finest writers and editorial staff that Nigeria had at the time, including Stanley Macebuh, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Sully Abu, Lade Bonuola, Olatunji Dare, Ama Ogan, Odia Ofeimun, Edwin Madunagu, and many others.
Their journalistic brilliance and prose made The Guardian, the undisputed news publication of the era.
Ever since, The Guardian has been a steadfast beacon of truth, a ‘guardian’ of democracy, and a mirror reflecting the myriad facets of our society. Its motto, “Conscience nurtured by truth” is apt. It was then. It is now. And it will be for years to come. Without truth and without a conscience, no foundation, no nation, no society or institution can stand.
Over the years, this world class publication has set a benchmark for journalistic excellence. It has helped to shape public discourse, champion accountability, and serve as a people’s watchdog. In doing so, The Guardian has justifiably earned the respect of Nigerians and readers across the world.
Today, as we commemorate this significant anniversary, we laud the newspaper’s unwavering commitment to the principles of free speech, transparency, and the pursuit of truth.
We also salute the pioneer publishing spirit of the late Alex Ibru, the courage of the Ibru family and successive publishers, and generations of The Guardian journalists who have upheld the principles of editorial independence and freedom of expression, even during the darkest and most oppressive years of military rule.
True to its name The Guardian has remained a guardian of truth.
In this age of globalisation and interconnectedness, the role of the media extends beyond national borders. The Guardian has, therefore, also been a voice for Africa, sharing stories that resonate across the continent and beyond.
In 2021, I was humbled when The Guardian in its collective wisdom, graciously honoured me as the Man of the Year. In its edition on the day, it had a nice photo of me on the front cover, with my bowtie of course, and the caption “Man of the Year: Proudly Nigerian, Proudly African.”
Thank you so much for such a great honour.
It is one that I will always cherish.
Congratulations once again on your 40th anniversary!
Let me now turn to the theme I have been asked to speak about, and that is: “For the World to Respect Africa.”
The first thing I want to underline is that respect is never a given. It cannot be purchased. It must be earned. And it is earned based not on rhetoric or request but based on action. Concrete action. Consistent action. Over time.
As a leader, my way of making decisions is quite simple. I simply write down the things that make me ashamed, and I do the opposite.
We must take a critical look around us, the under-development, the poverty in the midst of plenty and the fact that we are far behind other regions of the world, despite our enormous resources, and determine enough is enough.
Poverty must not become the comparative advantage of Africa.
Nearly half the world’s gold and one-third of all minerals are in Africa. With its vast mineral resources, and human resource capacity, Africa should not be where it is today.
Nigeria and many other African nations were once at the same level of development as some East Asian nations – notably Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea and several others.
We must ask ourselves, when will we make the shift that South Korea made, from being a country that was once on the low end of the development ladder to the rich, industrialised nation that it is today.
There was a period during which some East Asian countries like South Korea struggled to obtain World Bank loans. Today, South Korea is the 7th largest exporter of goods in the world. Not only that, its GDP per capita towers at 266 percent of the global average.
We must find solutions to our many challenges in Africa. While we must deal with bread-and-butter development issues, we must think strategically as we set ourselves upon a path of also becoming wealthy nations. Our countries must become great contributors to global wealth and development financing for others.
We simply must turn the tide.
Ultimately, we must put ourselves in a position where we too can give.
That is how Africa will earn respect.
Let me start with the poverty on the continent.
Africa has some 431 million out of the continent’s 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, a number that has increased with an additional 84 million people since the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific had roughly 50 per cent and 2/3 of their population in extreme poverty in 1990, and saw significant declines to 9 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively in 2019.
Sub-Saharan Africa, which had 50 per cent of its population in extreme poverty in 1990 just like South Asia, saw it decline only to 35 per cent by 2019.
It is time for poverty accountability for governments.
Africa will not earn respect globally until we end poverty at scale.
For too long we have allowed poverty to linger pervasively in the midst of plenty. Our nation is resource rich and yet the majority of our fellow citizens remain poor. We often tend to accept poverty as normal.
Let me be unequivocally clear. Poverty is not normal. It is abnormal, especially when it has been pervasive for so long. This is why I believe Africa should not become a museum of poverty.
To reverse this trend, we must have public accountability on poverty. Our governments must realise that it is their responsibility to lift all their people out of poverty and into wealth as fast as possible. It is doable.
We have seen clear examples of such progress in other regions of the world, especially in Asia, over the last three decades. There is no reason why acute poverty cannot be eradicated in Nigeria and across Africa. We have to become a continent that grows inclusive and well distributed wealth.
By tackling poverty, I do not mean so called “poverty alleviation” because this is a term that I reject in its entirety. We cannot be comfortable with poverty. If you are sick from malaria and you visit with your doctor who says, “I will alleviate your malaria”, please get out and look for a better doctor!
I do not believe in “poverty alleviation.” If someone moves from $1.30 or $1.50 per day to $1.60 per day, they are still poor.
We must eliminate poverty and create wealth
To buttress my point, South Korea moved from a GDP per capita of $350 in the 1960s to approximately $33,000 in 2023. That is the kind of quantum leap that we need, rather than attempt to “alleviate” poverty.
When we rapidly take our people out of poverty, we will begin to earn respect.
Saudi Arabia has oil, as does Nigeria. Kuwait has oil, as does Nigeria. Qatar has abundant gas, as does Nigeria and other countries.
Yet, Nigeria is the country with the largest share of its population living below the extreme poverty line in 2023 in Africa.
Clearly, there is something fundamentally wrong in our management, or rather mismanagement, of our natural resources. It is also clear that if we continue to mismanage these natural resources, we will remain stuck.
When we look at pervasive state capture, in several instances, of oil, gas, minerals, and metals, it is abundantly clear that there is no transparency in or accountability for how we manage these resources.
Consequently, in the midst of plenty, majority of the people remain poor.
I have urged African governments to stop securing loans backed by their natural resources. Natural resource-backed loans are non-transparent. They are expensive, and they make debt resolution difficult. If the trend continues, it will be a disaster for Africa.
Some speak about the natural resource curse. They say that countries become poor when they have natural resources. I do not buy this. The so-called resource curse has not applied to Saudi Arabia. It has not been relevant for Qatar, or for Norway. These are all nations that are rich in natural resources that have served them well. Why should it be different for Africa’s resource-rich states? It all comes down to governance, transparency, accountability and the sound management of our natural resources.
If we manage our natural resources well, Africa has no reason to be poor. We have $6.2 trillion in natural resources. So how in the world are we still poor? We simply need to pull up our socks, stamp out corruption, and manage our resources in the interest of our countries and our people.
Africa will gain respect when it is able to feed itself.
Any nation or region that begs for food is free only in words, but dependent on others for life.
Feeding 9.5 billion people in the world by 2050 will be a challenge, given climate change and the limited amount of arable land in many countries, including developed countries. Africa will play a critical role in this as the continent has 65% of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world.
But despite this, Africa has not been able to feed itself. Africa’s food import bill hit $85 billion in 2012, and is expected to surpass $110 billion by 2025, with 283 million people going to be hungry every year. We are changing this narrative.
The African Development Bank has invested over $8 billion in agriculture over the past seven years which has improved food security for 250 million people.
When the Russian-Ukraine war broke out and disrupted wheat and maize exports, Africa faced a potential food crisis. I said “Africa will not see a food crisis” and that “Africa should not go around begging for food, or pleading with Russia to have food, but rather put is own seeds in ground and produce food.”
The African Development Bank rapidly approved a $1.5 billion emergency food production facility for African countries.
Today, this facility is supporting 20 million farmers in 36 countries to produce 38 million tons of food valued at $12 billion. That is 8 million metric tons above the 30 million metric tons of food Africa was losing from imports from Russia and Ukraine.
Africa did not beg. Africa produced more food. And Africa gained respect.
To be continued.
END
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