The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Monday, called on African leaders to seek and promote peace on the continent if Africa must grow.
He made the call in a message to commemorate ”Africa Day 2020.”
The day is marked by the African Union Commission in conjunction with the World Health Organisation.
This year’s theme is ”Silencing the Guns in the context of the COVID-19”, a theme the Nigerian President said was apt.
Buhari noted that peace and development were “inseparable”, a reason he urged African leaders to ensure that the guns were silenced in their respective countries and across borders.
”Peace, security, unity and harmony are prerequisites for development in Africa,” a State House statement by his media aide, Mr Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari last night.
The day is marked every May 25 to remember the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The OAU later transited to the African Union.
Buhari appealed to regional economic groups, civil society organisations and the private sector in Africa to take full ownership of the theme of this year’s celebration to strengthen collaborative efforts among member-countries of the AU.
