A lawmaker in the upper chambers of the Nigerian National assembly, Senator Ned Munir Nwoko (PDP, Delta North), has called on former colonialists to pay $5 trillion to African nations as reparations for historical injustices which were perpetrated against the continent.
In a statement he personally signed which was made available to Africa Today News, New York on Friday, Nwoko also demanded for the repatriation of “culturally significant artefacts that were taken from the African continent during the colonial period”.
He pointed out that the demand was done not as an act of vengeance, but as a path to healing and restoration even as he stressed the need to establish a comprehensive reparations framework that would assess the damages inflicted by centuries of injustice.
Nwoko urged colonial powers and the world community to recognise the serious effects of colonialism, which have had a detrimental effect on the growth and development of developed countries, particularly Nigeria.
‘Furthermore, I beseech former colonial powers to invest in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic empowerment within African nations, especially those that have borne the brunt of exploitation,’ Nwoko stated.
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The lawmaker’s statement titled ‘Demand for Reparations and Neocolonialism Mitigation in African Nations’ harped on the need to urgently address issues of historical injustices and neocolonialism that have left an indelible mark on the African continent.
He recalled that, Africa, particularly Nigeria, bore witness to an unimaginable saga of human suffering and exploitation noting specifically that ‘the transatlantic slave trade tore families apart and scarred our collective memory, inflicting anguish and despair across generations.’
Africa Today News, New York reports that the British Empire, once a colossus that straddled the world, asserted its authority over immense expanses of Africa for almost a century. This era was characterised by relentless exploitation and a brand of subjugation that resulted in innumerable acts universally recognised today as crimes against humanity.