It is unacceptable to attack a school and slit the throats of innocent students in the name of religion or political affiliation. Boko Haram’s alleged slaughter of students in  Nigeria’s Yobe state must be condemned in the strongest terms. The surge in separatist groups and armed rebellion against state authority in Africa needs urgent attention. Such actions negate the momentum towards a resurgent Africa in the global platform.

All Nigerians - and by extension Africans - regardless of religion or political affiliation are faced with similar socio-economic and political challenges at the global level.  The solution is not to kill each other but to identify the challenges and seek ways to grow opportunities out of them. Violence will only breed more violence and send a wrong signal that might is right. In the end, those with more strength will lose out if they simply carve to decimate populations.The rising insecurity in Nigeria, CAR, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and other parts of Africa calls for a refocus of the African Union’s agenda towards preparing the continent to address the challenges presented by changing geopolitics.