SAN, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, has referred to South African opposition leader Julius Malema’s outburst at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual national conference as a potent wake-up call for Nigeria to assert its rightful place on the African continent.
During Channels Television’s Politics Today programme last night, Ozekhome said Malema’s words need to be listened to, citing Nigeria, with 237 million people 18.83 percent of the 1.55 billion in Africa cannot afford to lead in sheer size but has to lead in action.
Paraphrasing Malema, he continued:
“You are the giant of Africa, you should stand up and lead from the front, not from the back. Do not remain giant in size only, be giant in action.”
Ozekhome referred to the statement as a timely “clarion call” against Africa’s long history of exploitation.
He blamed the backwardness of the continent on the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference, when the European powers divided up Africa to exploit its resources, a division still in force today.
Malema’s outspokenness and unashamed voice as a leader of the opposition were celebrated by the lawyer, in comparison to what he called “bread-and-butter opposition” which could so readily be bought off.
“When someone like Malema speaks, he does it with fearlessness, consistency, and principle, demonstrating what an opposition should be,” Ozekhome said.
