by Alieu Ceesay
Twice African Footballer of the Year award winner, Elhadji Ousseynou Diouf, has urged young Africans to desist from embarking on illegal migration to Europe and make best use of the opportunities available in the continent.
In a chat with Observer Light, the former Senegalese superstar and Liverpool winger who was in the country as guest to the Sports Journalists’ Association of The Gambia (SJAG) affirmed that young people can be successful in Africa.
“I want to advise the youth of Africa to know that the concept of easy success in Europe and America is just a dream. Let us stay here [in Africa] and work in our countries, but whosoever you tell this might think you don’t want success for him or her.”
Diouf decried the increasing number of young people that lose their lives on the high seas. “Taking these unsafe boats to Europe will only make the West to disrespect us [Africans]; they will never treat us with dignity if we behave like this; and once you lose respect in life you are nothing. For the West to respect us [Africans] we must first respect ourselves and have high self-esteem.”
According to the former Senegalese superstar, it is the responsibility of the citizenry to develop their own country and therefore they should get up and support their leaders to advance the development of their country.
He said there are so many opportunities for the youth of Africa, saying they can be successful if they are willing to do the same work they are going to do in Europe. “Let us [Africans] believe in ourselves and respect ourselves. I therefore urged youth to do away with illegal migration because you cannot get a job without proper papers. So many people have had their family members die in their absence and they cannot come home,” he lamented.