By Towoju Adedoyi

African leaders have been called for the reawakening of the spirit of Pan-Africanism in order to reclaim the continent’s identity and independence from external interference.

Speaking in a thought-provoking interview with Integrity News Nigeria, Adedoyin Towoju, a political analyst and senior lecturer in the department of political science, Kwara State University, Malete (KWASU) stated that prior to European colonization, African nations had their own ways of governing and developing.

Adedoyin Towoju emphasized the need for Africa to assert its own identity and embrace Pan-Africanism to achieve progress.
Reacting to the US visa ban slammed on Nigeria, Towoju questioned the tendency of African politicians to seek validation from Western powers and calls for a shift towards self-validation and confidence.
He further expressed his disappointment over the lack of self-validation, which he believes has led to the colonization of African minds.
He highlighted the historical and cultural diversity of the continent, expressing the view that Africa had its own established ways of governance before European colonization.
“Africa is being cut off in this way Africa is having its own identity We have our ways of doing our thing in which we have grown over the years As a matter of fact, this democracy that we are practicing is alien to us …, before the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 by Lord Lugat We have different kinds of administrative settings We have the Yoruba, we have the Ausa, we have the Igbo and so on and so forth We are different people in which we are We have the opinion that if we are left to develop at our own pace, maybe we would have attained development Mind you, before the coming of the Europeans into Africa, before their incursion in Africa. We have our ways of doing things” he added.
He emphasized the colonization of African minds and the importance of breaking free from the perception of being a weaker continent.
He argued that Western powers have taken advantage of this to manipulate African politics and economy.
Towoju advocated for awakening the spirit of Pan-Africanism to harness Africa’s resources and potential for development.
The political asked “why is it that we never heard of an African country banning a particular US politician or giving them a visa ban or something Because it amounts to nothing Nigeria is a sovereign state and the definition of sovereign is our own affairs Without the external interference of anybody Why is it that our politicians are so fast in seeking validation with the Western powers? Why? Have you ever heard of any US president coming to Nigeria to come and deliver a campaign speech? Why are they running to Chatham House in the UK for instance? Why don’t they come to our legislature? Yes, the problem is with us and Africa as a whole and the spirit of pan-Africanism is dead”
The interviewee called on African leaders to take a stand and shift from the current state of mind by embracing the spirit of Pan-Africanism.
“They have also colonized our brain The colonization is also in our brain Up to this present moment, it is a problem That is why so many say that Western is what is right There are so many sides of Western that we accept over and over And we constantly reject our own individual rights The problem is a gradual shift from this Western validation We cannot achieve anything as a continent So it is a problem that is deep-rooted with our foundation And it is as if we are transferring this from generation to generation to generation And we constantly see ourselves as the weaker continent As the weaker continent, as the smaller continent, as the less sensible continent However, we have the brain, we have the resources, we have everything But it just seems as if the Western world is having structure to keep subjugating us To keep seeing ourselves under that cage as if we are lesser than them”
He believed that the continent has the resources and the brains to achieve anything and must not continue to be viewed as weaker.