Presidential Research & Communications Unit

Statement by
His Excellency, President Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua, GCFR
At the Grand Debate on the Union Government
At the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Accra. 1-3 July 2007

PROTOCOL

I consider it a great honour and privilege to address the 9th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in the beautiful historic city of Accra, Ghana.

I would like to seize this opportunity to express, on behalf of the Nigerian delegation, my gratitude to the Government and people of the Republic of Ghana for the warm hospitality and courtesies extended to us since our arrival in this brotherly country.

I also wish to thank my Brother – and Sister–Heads of State and Government across Africa for the overwhelming felicitation and solidarity on our historic political transition, which heralded my emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29th 2007.

As I present my first address to the political leadership of the African continent under the aegis of the African Union (AU), I wish to reiterate Nigeria’s unmediated commitment to advancing the cause and ideals of the AU.

The theme of this Session, The Grand Debate on the Union Government, evokes profound memories of the grand vision of that quintessential Pan-Africanist, Ghana’s own Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, who first initiated the dream of a United States of Africa.

It is a fitting tribute to Kwame Nkrumah’s glorious legacy that we are here today debating the imperatives and possibilities of Union Government for our dear continent.

Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the reality of today’s fast globalizing world and the general tendency toward regional integration make the consideration of a Union Government for Africa imperative. The challenge lies, not in the principle of Union Government which is generally accepted, but in its operationalization.

A major objective of the AU as outlined in the Constitutive Act is the acceleration of the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.

The fundamental challenge is how we transmute from the present state of effective Regional Economic Communities (RECs) into continent-wide economic and political union. RECs have been correctly envisioned as the quintessential building blocks for the effectuation of the political and socio-economic union of the continent.

Nigeria has consistently supported and advocated the imperative of the ultimate goal of the African Union being full political and economic integration leading to the evolvement of the United States of Africa. The critical issue at this point is the question as to whether to fast-track the process or to pursue the same objective through what has come to be characterized as gradual incrementalism:

a gradualist approach to evolving Union Government for Africa.

Our perspective is mediated by the critical need at this point in our continent’s developmental process, for the nations of Africa to focus more on the strengthening and consolidation of internal governance and growth structures, and on more robust regional integration.

Focus on inter-regional collaboration is equally critical especially considering that all the five regions of Africa face essentially the same challenges of poor infrastructure, inadequate energy, endemic poverty, and the twin bane of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

We however must not lose sight of the crucial fact that the desire is for the union of the peoples of Africa and not a union of States and Governments. This fact brings to the fore the primacy of projecting our shared values and common interests.

Of critical importance is the definitive identification and explication of the vital institutional and operational challenges which the concept of Union Government throws up, and principled approaches to meeting these challenges. This makes a strong case for the notion of gradual incrementalism.

Excellencies, Dear colleagues, there are clear and present threats and challenges which we must face up to.

We cannot ignore the social, economic, and political inequalities within and among our member States, which if not bridged, would pose daunting obstacles on the march towards viable political and economic union. Conversely, these issues, along with the challenges of conflict, disease and poverty, drive the imperative for us to present a united and common front in the global arena. There is strength in the synergy that is only possible from functional unity.

This brings me to another critical variable in this debate:

the degree of our commitment to our continental body and the essence of our Africanness. To the extent that we continue to subscribe and owe more allegiance to extra-continental bodies to the neglect of the AU, our steps towards functional integration will remain faltering.

We must recommit in practical terms to those principles that initially drove the birthing of the AU. We must stay focused on forging common standards of political and economic governance, and create enabling factors that will connect our peoples, enhancing the free movement of people, goods and services within and among our nations. In this regard, continental infrastructure such as transportation, communication, and power, as well as common agricultural, education, migration, and other policies are fundamental.

Your Excellencies, I have undertaken my task here with a view merely to agitate our minds on the way forward with the debate on the Union Government. In the final analysis, it behoves us and our populations to agree on the nature, time and modalities of the Union we want for our continent.

The Committee of Seven and subsequent Fora on the issue have effectively interrogated all the variables essential to the realization of the Union Government objective. We must continue to avert our minds to such issues as qualification for membership – would it be obligatory for all members of the AU or would it be accession at will? Is the structure going to be Federal, Unitary, or Confederal? What will be the nature of the relationship between the constituent units on the one hand, and the units and the centre on the other?
These are however details which I am confident we can manage as we progress. The more fundamental challenge, as my predecessor and brother, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo declared at an earlier Forum on this issue, is the presence of the requisite courage, vision, commitment, focus, and the political will to take decisions, abide by them, and implement such decisions diligently.

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to register Nigeria's appreciation for the work the AU Commission has done in pushing the agenda of our socio-economic and political integration to the fore in spite of obvious challenges. Immense gratitude is also due the various Heads of State and Government who have devoted time and effort to set the stage for the fruitful debate on the Union Government.

It is my fervent hope that this Summit will afford us the unique opportunity to chart a definitive roadmap towards our objective, a quest that should consistently define the essence and the spirit of the AU till we reach our goal of a secure, stable, strong, progressive, and prosperous United States of Africa.

May God bless our enterprise. Thank you.