Nigeria President Bola Tinubu said, yesterday, that African leaders were on the path of lifting their people out of poverty, noting the continent has proven itself in democratic governance.

He also asked critics of Africa to recognise the strides Nigeria, Ghana and other countries in Africa had made in promoting democracy, even as he implored them to allow the continent to develop at its own pace.

Nigeria President Tinubu, who spoke as a special guest at the inauguration of Ghana’s newly elected President, John Mahama, in Accra yesterday, said Africa has nothing new to prove that it had internalised democracy.

He said: “We celebrate African democracy today as Ghana and her beloved people mark the transition from one democratic government to another. This moment does more than symbolise another milestone in the evolution of Ghanaian democratic society.

“It lays to bed the question of whether Ghana and Africa are capable of democratic and productive endeavours. Ghana has answered that question resoundingly. It is time Africa’s critics stopped forgetting the strides your nation, Nigeria and others have made by continuing to ask us to prove ourselves.

“We have nothing to prove to anyone except ourselves. We have found the critical path to our success. We shall lift our nations out of poverty and build a resilient economy at our own pace.

“Today, I am here not only as the President of Nigeria but also as an African in resolute support for Ghana and her people. This moment is a source of pride and honour for you, the entire continent, and its Diaspora.

The sun is out, and the sky says daylight, but I see today a Black star rising high in the African sky. This Black star shines over this nation, and its rays spread across this continent with a sense of shared history, hope, compassion, unity, and devotion to our common welfare.