Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Foremost Yoruba traditional Yoruba ruler, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s announcement that Nigeria would commence issuing visa on arrival in January 2020 to all holders of African passport, will promote African unity.
He stated this Abuja on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, receiving a delegation of the AFRICA2020- #ONEUNITEDAFRICA PROJECT, led by former parliamentarian, Bimbo Daramola.
He was in Abuja for the General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria.
Buhari had at the opening session of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa on Wednesday, announced the visa on arrival as a way of promoting free movement and facilitating the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The President had said: “We in Nigeria have already taken the strategic decision to bring down barriers that have hindered the free movement of our people within the continent by introducing the issuance of visa at the point of entry into Nigeria to all persons holding passports of African countries with effect from January, 2020.”
The monarch while describing AFRICA2020- #ONEUNITEDAFRICA PROJECT as a most expedient project in Africa’s 2020 events calendar, said there is no better time than now for the visa on arrival policy, saying it was necessary for Africa to rediscover the bonds that hold the continent together.
The Ooni opined that peace, unity and stability remain the bedrock and future of Africa, a continent so blessed in its potential and diversity.
Ooni Ogunwusi while commending the organisers, observed that the Africa 2020 Project is a major non-governmental effort which will complement subsisting diplomatic efforts being made by Federal Government, urging African leaders to support the initiative because “the unity of Africans will accentuate prosperity on the continent.”
He averred that a situation where Africans are being killed by their fellow Africans cannot, and is not in consonance with the dream of the founding fathers of the continent.
He commended the fact that two former Presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Goodluck Jonathan have already endorsed the AFRICA2020- #ONEUNITEDAFRICA.”