The city of Enugu became the focal point of a major continental conversation as South African politician and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference. The event provided a platform for Malema to articulate his vision for a unified and economically independent Africa.
In his speech, Malema paid glowing tribute to Nigeria's historic role in South Africa's liberation from apartheid, describing Nigeria as a "comrade nation that stood firmly by our side during our darkest hour." He specifically recalled how Nigerian students, through a "Mandela Tax," sacrificed a portion of their income to support an educational training program for Black South Africans, a gesture he said created a bond "sealed in blood and sacrifice."
Malema's central theme was a radical vision of a borderless Africa with a single currency, one parliament, and one military command. He challenged the audience to imagine a future where African nations industrialize together. "Imagine a joint program where South African mining expertise is combined with Nigerian oil wealth to create African-owned energy and resource conglomerates," he proposed. He argued that such collaboration would free the continent from the "debt trap" of foreign loans and the exploitative cycle of exporting raw materials cheaply only to buy back expensive finished goods.
A major part of his address was a scathing condemnation of xenophobia in South Africa, which he labeled "a sickness borne of poverty, inequality, and government failure." He said that attacks on fellow Africans, including Nigerians, are "a betrayal of African unity" and emphasized that an African in any part of the continent should not be considered a foreigner. Malema also took aim at what he called the hypocrisy of international legal institutions, which he said are "swift and ruthless when prosecuting leaders of the global south and yet hesitant and cautious when dealing with crimes committed by Western powers and their allies."
The NBA Conference, with the theme "Stand Out, Stand Tall," provided a fitting platform for Malema's impassioned plea for Africans to reclaim their destiny. "We are not a dark continent. How can we be dark when we have diamonds that shine among us?" he asked, drawing applause from the crowd. His message resonated deeply with many, reaffirming the historical solidarity between Nigeria and South Africa and calling for a new era of purposeful, pan-African collaboration to secure the continent's future.
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