By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

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A former Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Frank Isoh, has advised the United Nations and the world super powers to prevent the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war from lingering , saying such would bring hunger, inflation and loss of manpower to Africa continent.

The ex-envoy stated that fear of terrible backlashes have begun to manifest in Africa with the way many students seeking medical education in Ukraine have had their dreams truncated by the war.

The ex-Ambassador  posited that the continent  largely depend  on wheat from Ukraine now  experiencing upsurge in the prices of bread, oil prices already soaring, thereby increasing government’s spending on subsidy.

Isoh spoke at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), on Tuesday, during  a bi-annual Diplomatic Dialogue Titled: “Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the Emerging Global Dynamics: Implementations for Africa and the world”, organised by the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy.

Isoh said he raised the fear owing to emerging indications that there was no countries and organisations  ready to mediate in the crisis due to mistrust  Russia has for United States of America, United Nations and the Vatican, who could have propelled a trouble-shooting measures.

The diplomatic expert, however, said the only way to rein in Putin was to impose heavy sanctions on Russia to instigate the people against his government when the economy becomes harder and unbearable.

In the alternative, Isoh mulled outright  reorganisation of  Ukraine to make it a federating state from the current  unitary structure, as a way of fortifying the country and make it more cohesive in decision making.

Espousing his views on the implications of the war, Isoh said: “There will be hunger in Africa if the war lingers, and increasing fiscal deficit because the price of oil will go up and the country will borrow money to pay for subsidy thereby giving unscrupulous people to shortchange the system.

Isoh added that having a strong country deploying its military to muzzle a weaker country was no longer fashionable in this era, saying  such despotic tendency  shouldn’t be accepted.

Condemning the killings and rendering of many citizens homeless, ABUAD’s founder, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) fumed at the International Court of Justice for posing as a “Toothless Bulldog” over its inability to sanction Putin for disobeying its orders.

Babalola said Ukraine remains a sovereign state and that it was criminal in the face of the international law for Russia to be killing in that country and  failing to agree with ICJ diplomatic  policies.