Obasanjo lambasts Buhari for not signing African Union Continental Free Trade Area agreement

FORMER president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has castigated President Muhammadu Buhari for refusing to join 44 other nations in signing the African Union Continental Free Trade Area (AUCFTA) describing his actions as criminal.

 

Yesterday, the countries agreed to the new deal in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, penning a deal expected to boost trade between them. However, Nigeria was absent from the summit, amid fears that agreeing to such a deal would open up the country and make her a dumping ground for goods from across the continent.

 

Chief Obasanjo caused a stir in Kigali, when he described this action as criminal. He was seen and heard berating African presidents who gave flimsy excuses for not understanding the agreement and refusing to sign it, as criminals.

 

“It is criminal for any African leader to talk of not understanding what we are going to sign and afford not to be here,” Chief Obasanjo said.

 

President Buhari had on told his Federal Executive Council that he would not rush into anything that will undermine local manufacturers and entrepreneurs, or that may lead to Nigeria becoming a dumping ground for finished goods. He said the agreement has the capacity to hinder local entrepreneurship and encourage the dumping of finished goods in Nigeria.

 

He added that he was yet to fully understand the economic and security implications of AUCFTA. Meanwhile a committee comprising the ministers of foreign affairs, labour, budget, science and technology and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor has been set up to look at the agreement and its security implications for Nigeria.

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