Meeting A Daughter Of The Soil
Ambassador Sanders: ‘I Am a Daughter, Sister Of Nigeria, I Won’t Do Anything Against My People’ (As published in The Guardian of February 3, 2008) By Jahman Anikulapo “As a daughter of Africa… I will never be in support of something that will be of negative consequence to the continent”. Of course, with a committal statement such as this, dug up from the recesses of the soul, every doubt about the sincerity of the speaker’s position would vanish. The initial scepticism was instantly replaced by reverence for her courage to take on an issue that had become such a sore on the reputation of the institution she represents. Madam Ambassador had earlier, on same issue of the rumoured intention of the American government regarding the establishment of an African Command – AFRICOM – in Nigeria, declared: “I am telling you as a sister of Nigeria, I will never be party to anything that would be detrimental to the welfare of the people of this country, who are also my own people”. In truth,...