Mr Speaker, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon members, the African struggle against colonialism reflected strong commitment on the part of the Africans to break the political and economic stranglehold on the African continent, superimposed by European imperial powers through the Berlin Conference, presided over by the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, from 1884 to 1885.
The Pan-African Conference that met in London in 1900 brought together black political leaders, scholars, academics, students, journalists, professionals, authors and travellers from the UK, the USA, Canada, Europe, the West Indies and Africa to discuss the unity of the African people and how they should fight colonialism, racism and exploitation.
As they say, the Pan-African initiative became the foundation for the development of a unified ideological movement in the interest of African people. As the movement grew stronger, one by one, African countries gained their independence and freedom from the colonial powers. However, as we all know here now, South Africa became the last African country to gain freedom - and I must say, of a special type - in 1994.
In May 1963, the venerable Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia convened in Addis Ababa the convocation of the African state delegations, where the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, was founded. Joseph E Harris wrote:
The OAU was founded at a time when the spirit of Pan-Africanism pervaded Africa. Nkrumah's vision of a United States of Africa excited many Africans and non-Africans, alike. And although he and Nasser and a few other heads of state did not carry the day for a strong centralised body, the signing of the charter establishing the OAU was, itself, a momentous event.
Like the Accra Conference of Independent African States in 1958, the OAU Charter also reflected, put emphasis and elaborated on a programme of action on the following: firstly, Africa's contribution to world peace; secondly, making further progress in the struggle for the elimination of colonialism and racism; thirdly, spread of goodwill towards individuals and minorities; fourthly, conformity with the Universal Charter of the United Nations; fifthly, promotion of good relations among states; and lastly, promotion of continental unity, peace, security, co-operation and development.
It was not long, however, before the predicament of the legacy of colonialism revisited the post-colonial African nation state. The reason was that the African nation state was built on the European value systems, frontiers and boundaries that ignored African regional realities, ethnicity, languages, and cultures. With this influence, unfortunately, some of the African leaders were tempted to embrace the corrupt colonial heritage of the settler administration. Others supported and benefited from the proliferation of the small arms trade, drug smuggling and human trafficking. Some promoted ethnic conflicts, warlordism and intrastate wars.
Today, in the spirit of Nnamdi Azikiwe's idea of an Africa in renaissance, it is required of the modern African leadership to lead the continent out of these predicaments and provide a visionary and effective leadership that will work judiciously to reclaim Africa's economic, political and cultural sovereignty; unite the African people against underdevelopment, poverty and diseases; and galvanise for lasting peace, security and democracy throughout the African continent.