Buhari and Zuma at UN: Spotting the differences

Proverbial water had passed under the African bridge since the late Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi’s incoherent and almost meaningless (camel load of) word counts at the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York in 2009.

At that time yours comradely attempted the content analysis of the two speeches of the 44th President of United States of America, Barack Obama (his first time address at UN) and the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi (first and the last speech at UN) at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. It did task my imagination. I eventually concluded that undoubtedly, Obama the great orator with discernible messages held his listeners spell bound, commanded their attention and elicited spontaneous applause. Conversely Gaddafi’s (paradoxically Africa Union Chairman then) induced bagful of yawns, reading of text messages, even sleep and indeed walkouts on the part of some UN audience.

Many thanks to both General Muhammed Buhari, (the 4th President of Nigeria in this dispensation) and President Zuma of South Africa for redeeming the integrity of Africa at the ongoing 72nd General Assembly with discernible great speeches, almost a decade after Gadhafi’s disastrous UN outing in 2009.

First the brevity of speeches is commendable. President Buhari’s is a record 1000 plus word count, (compliments and protocols inclusive). In similar vein, Zuma’s is just 2000 words. Remarkably, Buhari’s commendable minimum words touched all inclusive critical global issues as African democratization, anti-corruption, antiterrorism, Iran Nuclear Deal, the Paris Climate Change Agreement and (in his words “of grave concern”, the North Korean nuclear crisis). I bear witness that President Buhari was stronger on democracy. As a matter of fact, I searched in vain for a word on democracy in Zuma’s speech. Having survived series of “No confidence votes” in South African parliament, is President Zuma democracy fatigue?

President Buhari is eminently qualified on democracy having democratically retrenched an incumbent predecessor in Nigeria’s historic 2015 presidential elections at the fourth attempt. “Our faith in democracy remains firm and unshaken,” he declared, citing ECOWAS’ coalition against sit-tight petty dictators in The Gambia and Cote D’Ivoire with prolonged applause for him!

On regional and globally security, I bear witness that both African presidents came out as symbols of peace compared to the agents of wars and aggressions symbolized by President Donald Trump (sorry Trouble!) of United States and Kim Jong Un of North Korea represented by North Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho. Again on global and regional peace Nigeria through Buhari showcased historic legacy of non-aggression. Witness him: “Since our admission as a member state in 1960, we have always participated in all efforts to bring about global peace, security and development.”

Singling out “the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea” as the greatest global security challenge since “the Cuban missile crisis of 1962” President Buhari gave a thought provoking proposal. According to him, all “… necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis”. Pointing to a danger of another Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader. The delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions.” President Buhari’s proposal was attractive with additional advise that all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, should “… ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons”. However observers noted that not just North Korean leader that should be engaged but all nuclear armed and nuclear excited statesmen. Here Zuma’s proposal seems richer and fairer. While President Jacob Zuma called for calm in North Korea‚ (“the situation cannot be allowed to get out of hand”!) commanding an applause, he was on point when he observed that “It can no longer be acceptable that some few countries keep arsenals and stockpiles of nuclear weapons as part of their strategic defence‚ while expecting others to remain at their mercy.” I totally agreed with him that: “The only viable solution to the problems of nuclear weapons is their total elimination as expressed in the recently adopted UN treaty”.

Africa and Africans have really come of age to talk straight to global power at UN. Again South Africa stood on high moral ground. At the time it was not popular to do so South Africa under the global icon, Nelson Mandela, first South African democratically elected President, “voluntarily dismantled its nuclear weapons programme‚ with … the firm view that there are no safe hands for weapons of mass destruction.”

Both Presidents Zuma and Buhari lead the largest two economies in Africa. Understandably, the two were strong on growth and developments of their respective countries and indeed of the African continent. “Nigeria” Buhari said “will continue to support the UN in all its efforts, including the attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Zuma was far more selfcritical that most African countries felt short of meeting the just concluded Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. “It was for this reason that we insisted that the Sustainable Development Goals should continue the unfinished business of the MDGs”, Zuma declared.

Are we then saying that without global development agenda, Africa would not be committed to development agenda to “address the triple challenge of this century, which is Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality?” It is refreshingly inspiring to hear from Zuma that “...South Africa has put in place a National Development Plan which is aligned to AU Agenda 2063, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” President Buhari was somewhat muted on the recently launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. Nigeria like South Africa needs long term Development Agenda and above all vision of beneficiation, value addition and Industrialization not just passing fad, called “diversification”.

On the whole, both Presidents offered leadership for the continent at the UN.