Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday called for dignified treatment of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, saying as a former head of state, Mubarak was entitled to personal dignity befitting his status.
Speaking in Mombasa, Kenya, where he is attending the African Leadership Conference, which is to round off on Friday, Obasanjo said the treatment meted to the former Egyptian leader was bad for the image of Africa as a continent.
“Put him in a cage? It is not proper. He deserves a better treatment. This is not good for the image of Africa,” Obasanjo told a gathering of African leaders, including former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and other governance experts gathered for the conference.
Egypt has put its former President on trial for the killing of protesters calling for his resignation in late January to early February this year.
Obasanjo, who had earlier addressed the African governance conference on the need for African governments to continue improving their governance ratings, also called on the African media to maintain high ethical standards to gain credibility.
He said the media in Africa could not claim a high moral ground and attempt to police good governance while still being held back by corruption within its ranks.
The African leaders at the conference, including ministers, top civil society voices across the continent and African scholars, called for massive infrastructure improvements to put the continent on a faster lane for the achievement of its economic development goals.
Speaking on the role of the media in advancing continental development, Obasanjo said from his knowledge of the Nigerian press, the media could not be trusted to champion governance.
He drew parallels with the likes of the British media, which he said engaged in gate-keeping of the news to ensure that news that would portray Britain in negative light was not publicised.
“I used to know that the BBC used to have a foreign relations officer whose duty it was to ensure that only news that does not hurt the image of Britain or its foreign relations are cleared for publication.
“I do not know if the system is still in place today,” he said.
Speaking in Mombasa, Kenya, where he is attending the African Leadership Conference, which is to round off on Friday, Obasanjo said the treatment meted to the former Egyptian leader was bad for the image of Africa as a continent.
“Put him in a cage? It is not proper. He deserves a better treatment. This is not good for the image of Africa,” Obasanjo told a gathering of African leaders, including former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and other governance experts gathered for the conference.
Egypt has put its former President on trial for the killing of protesters calling for his resignation in late January to early February this year.
Obasanjo, who had earlier addressed the African governance conference on the need for African governments to continue improving their governance ratings, also called on the African media to maintain high ethical standards to gain credibility.
He said the media in Africa could not claim a high moral ground and attempt to police good governance while still being held back by corruption within its ranks.
The African leaders at the conference, including ministers, top civil society voices across the continent and African scholars, called for massive infrastructure improvements to put the continent on a faster lane for the achievement of its economic development goals.
Speaking on the role of the media in advancing continental development, Obasanjo said from his knowledge of the Nigerian press, the media could not be trusted to champion governance.
He drew parallels with the likes of the British media, which he said engaged in gate-keeping of the news to ensure that news that would portray Britain in negative light was not publicised.
“I used to know that the BBC used to have a foreign relations officer whose duty it was to ensure that only news that does not hurt the image of Britain or its foreign relations are cleared for publication.
“I do not know if the system is still in place today,” he said.
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