By Abdullahi Inuwa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken Nigeria’s growing concerns over xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa to the African Union, calling for urgent continental action to protect African unity and solidarity.
Addressing leaders at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the African Union (AU), President Tinubu declared that the continent could no longer afford to remain silent in the face of attacks and discrimination targeting fellow Africans.
The President urged African leaders to confront xenophobia and Afrophobia with the seriousness they deserve, stressing that such acts threaten the shared values and unity upon which the African project is built.
Tinubu said the time had come for the continent to move beyond expressions of concern and take concrete steps to ensure that Africans living and working in other African countries are treated with dignity, respect and protection.
He called for stronger mechanisms of cooperation among member states to address tensions capable of creating hostility between African peoples, warning that division could undermine efforts to build a prosperous and integrated continent.
Beyond the xenophobia concerns, the President also urged AU leaders to renew their commitment to finding African solutions to African problems, particularly the security challenges confronting the continent.
According to him, stronger regional and continental cooperation remains critical to tackling terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime and other threats to peace and stability.
Tinubu maintained that Africa must strengthen its collective capacity to respond to emerging challenges rather than depending excessively on external intervention.
He called for renewed solidarity among member states, insisting that the continent’s shared future depends on its ability to work together, protect its people and resolve its challenges through home-grown solutions.
The President’s intervention at the extraordinary AU summit places the issue of xenophobic attacks and broader African solidarity firmly on the continental agenda, as leaders seek stronger cooperation in pursuit of peace, security and sustainable development.
Source:@NGRPresident
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