By Lekan Fatodu
In life, you don’t keep yourself on the sidelines when you can be heard on the frontline where your matter can attract worthy attention and even solutions.
The last time I checked, the G7 is a group of advanced economies that include USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Italy, France and Japan.
Nigeria is not a member of G7. Japan is a member, so its leader must be there.
So, If Buhari attempts to crash the G7 and jettison the Japan conference, essentially focused on Africa, he will simply be kept on the sidelines where he will be desperately trying to make eye contacts or “famz” with passing leaders of advanced economies for cheap recognition.
And many having been raising dust on social media in reaction to the president’s move.
The Social media can be a blessing and a menace at the same time. It’s a place where people can gain immeasurable knowledge and experiences. It’s also sadly a place where ignorance walks on all fours and untruth is curiously presented as gospel, and dressed in garments of honour.
As such, people need to always consciously mind the gap on social media.
A lot has been said by some “all-knowing” social media contributors on the “irrelevance of Buhari in Japan when he’s supposed to be in G7 especially when the leader of Japan is in G7”.
I hope the perspective shared earlier sets the records straight.
In case that does not suffice, here’s the perspective of a member of the President’s delegate to Japan.
“The conference is under the theme ‘Africa and Yokohama, Sharing Passion for the Future.’
“It is the seventh in the series of what began as a once-in-five-years conference in 1993, but now holds every three years. It rotates between Japan and Africa, with the last held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2016.
“In Kenya, Japan had pledged $30 billion investment for the future of Africa, another $10 billion for infrastructure, and $500 million for vocational training of 50,000 Africans.
“On Wednesday, President Buhari will unfold what Nigeria has gained so far from Japan, and of course, present fresh shopping bills”.
