Former president John Dramani Mahama has emboldened Nigeria to take leadership role in the sub-region and to become the “driver of economic transformation and integration in West Africa.”
According to him, West Africa’s most populous nation should not harbor any fears as far as Ghana and Ivory Coast are concerned.
Besides Nigeria, he also threw a challenge to South Africa and Egypt to become like Japan and China to propel African growth, noting that “Nigeria has a responsibility to be the driver of economic transformation in West Africa”.
“Nigeria has nothing to fear from Ghana or Cote D’Ivoire in an integrated sub region,” Mr Mahama said when he chaired a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, to inaugurate the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Good Governance and Development at the National Open University of Nigeria.
A statement from the office of Mr Mahama said the ceremony, which was also attended by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, was an opportunity to honour the former Nigerian President for his commitment and contribution to the promotion of education in Nigeria.
The National Open University of Nigeria which started in the early 1980s was closed down a few years later, until 2001 when then President Obasanjo reopened the institution.
It currently has over 300,000 active students across the country.
The statement said Mr Mahama challenged the Centre to research into new and emerging developmental issues and how these can affect governance, democracy and the development of African countries.