Madam Chairperson, many among us agree that unity in diversity is a concept based on unity without conformity and diversity without fragmentation. Michael Novak wrote, and I quote:
Unity in diversity is the highest possible attainment of a civilization, a testimony to the most noble possibilities of the human race.
To be able to join hands to promote unity in diversity, we should first attempt to appreciate people of all kinds, men and women, regardless of their ethnicity, race and religious, political or geographical background.
One of our greatest challenges as a nation is to protect the human rights of all, particularly people who are not originally from our country. We need to relook how foreigners are treated in our country. If we succeed in achieving this unity in diversity, there will be a healthy relationship between locals and foreigners and we will reap excellent benefits for the good of all. The benefits will include preventing unnecessary confrontation and boosting our economic output, because the right people who are properly qualified would be allowed to do the job. This would also improve performance, productivity and quality of work.
Unity is strength. Africans must stand and work together to develop our continent. There is no single country that can develop Africa alone. We need one another. The saying "united we stand, divided we fall" is a universal truth and has stood the test of time. Africa's enemies will take advantage of us when we they notice cracks in our relationships. Unity is strength and brings success while division is weakness that brings a downfall.
The recent incident where entry to South Africa was refused to 125 Nigerians is regrettable. It is time for Africa to stand together, hold hands, unite in our diversity and face the challenge of making our continent a force to be reckoned with.