JULY 4 IN NIGERIAN HISTORY: President Obasanjo, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and other African leaders meet in Libya to deliberate on Africa unity

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo on July 4, 2005 called for "massive" financial aid to end African poverty and dismissed calls by Col Muammar Gaddafi for Africans to stop "begging".

Obasanjo who was the chairman of African Union (AU) spoke at a two-day G8 summit, told African leaders meeting in Libya that wealthy nations should extend a recent debt cancellation beyond the 14 countries that had benefited.

He said: "For Africa [to fight poverty] it will require not only the debt forgiveness but also a massive inflow of finance through repatriation of corruption-tainted funds in foreign banks, the fulfilment of commitments made by our development partners and new funds through investment."

But he admitted African leaders had to demonstrate "collective political will to undertake our own part for our 'upliftment'".

Chief Obasanjo's call for western aid contrasted sharply with that of his Libyan host, Col Gaddafi, who told the meeting that Africans had to rely on themselves. "Begging will not make the future of Africa," he declared.