The Chairman, Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation, Sen. Ned Nwoko has called for African fraternity and consolidation in confronting the painful legacies of its past.
Sen. Nwoko, who represents Delta North in the Senate, said this in Abuja, while speaking at a one-day consultative forum with African ambassadors in Nigeria organised by the Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation.
The senator also said that the forum was more than a meeting, as it was a remarkable moment in time.
According to him, it is moment for redefining Africa’s place in history, not as a victim seeking sympathy, but as a continent asserting its rightful place in global justice conversation, demanding accountability, restitution and respect.
He disclosed that the Senate committee has a mandate to address the centuries-old injustices inflicted upon Nigerians through slavery, colonisation, exploitation, and systemic discrimination, both historical and contemporary.
The senator said that “this forum, organised as a strategic engagement aims to foster dialogue, share insights, and forge practical, collaborative pathways for advancement across the African continent.
“The work before us is neither symbolic nor ceremonial. It is structured, evidence-based, and far-reaching. Our committee is guided by specific terms of reference that reflect the weight of our responsibility.
“This includes to address historical and systemic injustices that have long dehumanised and marginalised various groups and communities within Nigeria, and the broader African diaspora.
“It is to also collates credible evidence of wrongdoing by individuals, states, corporations, and other institutions, past and present, and make concrete recommendations for appropriate compensation and redress.”
The Senate committee chairman further said that the committee was mandated to pursue the return of looted cultural artifacts and heritage materials taken during colonial conquests or illicit trade.
According to him, this includes leveraging international legal frameworks and institutions to seek restitution and financial reparation where applicable, among others.
Read also:
- Sen. Nwoko vows legal action against social media influencer for defamation
- Ned Nwoko urges multi pronged attack against malaria
- Delta North APC youth pass confidence vote on Sen. Nwoko
Sen. Nwoko noted that the mandate does not only cover matters of culture and history, but extends into virtually all sectors of the nation’s socio-economic architecture, such as education, resource control, infrastructure, restitution, and inter-governmental equity.
He emphasised that the forum was further invigorated by recent continental effort, adding that in February, the African Union (AU) reinforced the call for reparative mechanisms to provide not just economic compensation, but healing acknowledgement and empowerment.
“That AU summit marked a pivotal moment, affirming that reparation is no longer a fringe discourse, but now central to Africa’s collective agenda for justice, recognition and transformation.
“It is in this context that we engage you, Your Excellencies. Your insights, diplomatic experiences, and policies perspectives are crucial to shaping what must become an African-wide position, a unified voice that will reverberate in international chambers and court of justice.
“Together, we must construct a strategy that is both morally grounded and diplomatically effective,” he further said.
