Gen. Yakubu Gowon, former Nigerian Head of Sate and a major founding father of ECOWAS, has advocated the creation of a government of West Africa that will work for the common good of the 15-nation Community’s estimated 300 million people as a building block for the United States of Africa.
“The objective when we founded ECOWAS (in May 1975) was for an organization that will work for the benefit of all people in the Community and pending when the dream of a United States of Africa is realized, West Africa can show the way,” Gen. Gowon said during an interview after a meeting on Tuesday with the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo in Abuja.
So basically, going by this report our ex-head of state wants a government a west Africa to be a blue print for the so called “United States of Africa”. It’s a dream quite alright but one wonders if it is a dream we really want to come true/through. A United States of Africa can be akin to an European Union and with the diversity, conflicts and rivalry between African countries it’s probably a tall dream.
Perhaps that is why he wants to push for it to start with ECOWAS as a template for what they can implement in Africa. Unfortunately, ECOWAS is so bogged down with conflicts and poverty, the common currency plan that has been on the table for years remains on the table of CBN Governors.
