Oby Ezekwesili, a former Vice-President (Africa) at the
World Bank, has told China that they must pay damages to Nigeria and other
African nations.
She made the initial demand in an April article on the
coronavirus global crisis.
On Monday, the former Minister of Education, released
another piece in reaction to China’s counter.
China, had in its response, asked if the United States
offered compensation for the 2009 H1N1 flu, which spread to 214 countries and
regions.
The world’s most populous nation recalled that the outbreak
killed nearly 200,000 people.
China further pointed out that AIDS was also first reported
in the U.S. in the 1980s and then swept across the world.
The country sought answers from Ezekwesili on whether America
was asked to compensate countries for flu and AIDS diseases.
The finance expert noted that China must know that where
lives and livelihoods are concerned, no country, regardless of how powerful,
can intimidate Africans again.
Ezekwesili urged Beijing to do the right thing now and
accept the debt it owes Africa as a result of its failures on COVID-19.
The Bring Back Our Girls co-convener posited that world
powers should behave responsibly in the 21st Century if they are to be taken
seriously.
Ezekwesili stated that the Government of China through their
Embassy in Nigeria missed the opportunity to responsibly address the serious
issues raised.
She insisted that Africa deserves to be paid a compensation
for the damages COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting on lives and livelihoods.
The rights activist declared that since China failed to
adhere to basic scientific and research transparency in the critical early days
of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, it must accept responsibility with humility.
In her rejoinder entitled ‘Yes, I Insist That #ChinaMustPay
Africa Damages for COVID-19’, Ezekwesili outlined six points that authorities
in Beijing should consider.
She wrote: “First, it is now clear to the world that China’s
opaque handling of the pandemic is costing my country, our continent and people
too much in lost lives and livelihoods. The unjustified suffering of the poor
and vulnerable brought on by the actions of a comparatively rich and powerful
country demands a new system for addressing global inequities.”
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Who is this one self?
ReplyDeleteInsist as what? In what capacity?
It is obvious that this woman is power - hungry.