One of the most exciting teachings I received during my formative years was the lesson on prophecy. It was during my catechism class as a Catholic Christian, and prophecy as a topic posed a huge but thrilling challenge to me. On that day, at that time and in that place, the Catechist (teacher) told the class that ‘prophecy is the certain foretelling of a future event by a person supernaturally informed of it and supernaturally moved to announce it. This, he added, comes in two ways: prophesy of foreknowledge and prophesy of denunciation.
While the prophecy of foreknowledge, according to him, deal’s with what is certain to come, prophesy of denunciation tells what is to come if the present situation is not changed; both acting as information and warning respectively. However, this knowledge gained has since transcended to the political circle as it naturally comes flooding whenever I ruminate about the leadership challenge in Africa. Regrettably, our continent is littered with information and warning prophecies booming across our wavelength without our leaders listening.
Notably, flagrant disregard of public opinions, ignoring advice/admonitions from wellmeaning Africans and groups, paying no attention to political and socioeconomic concerns expressed by the people as well as undermining institutions are but vivid examples. From Zimbabwe to South Africa, Kenya down to Nigeria, the story is the same: penchant for ignoring advice, warning signals, and inability to read the political handwriting on the wall.
No doubt, prominent among the reasons for this flagrant disregard of political warnings is a barefaced illusion on the part of our leaders that they are more patriotic than the other citizens. A character that is fuelled by inordinate view of their countries as a personal property. This baffling disposition, in
effect, prepares the ground for African ‘leaders’ exercising power and responsibility, not as a trust for public good but as an opportunity for private gains. Acting as a boost to the above is the excruciating poverty and starvation orchestrated by these ‘leaders’ and visited on the continent in such a way that it drives more people into the ranks of the beggars, whose desperate struggle for bread renders them insensitive to all feelings of decency and self-respect.
A similar reason is the established fact that Africa is a continent where tribal loyalties seem stronger than the sense of common nationhood. A state of affairs that blurs our vision about public leadership and promotes nepotism, cronyism and corruption while making our political judgments bigoted Also working in favour of these African leaders’ penchant for disobeying political prophecies is their gross poverty of history, a condition that roundly prevents them and their followers from learning from the consequences that befell some of the past African leaders that ignored political prophecies. In our living memories are: Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo and Mobutu Seseseko of Zaire, among others
Regardless of what others may say, leadership knowledge is gained by probing the past and using the knowledge derived to tackle the present.
Or, analyzing the present and using the information gained to predict the future. But now that the information coming from
our past and present leaders are faulty and defective, now that we are faced with the reality that tomorrow has become now, how do we as a continent tackle the future? If you are in doubt of how enormous these challenges are, then, check out the brazen impunity recently demonstrated by one of the so-called African leaders. Mr Raila Odinga, of the People’s Republic of Kenya, who recently decided to, and had himself, illegally sworn-in as the parallel president of the Republic, despite his nonparticipation in the rescheduled presidential election in Kenya.
With this move, Odinga, again, as an average African ‘leader’ demonstrated his political blindness to prophecies and in effect, proved to the world that public opinion makes little or no meaning to him. To Odinga, it is not about the people but personal aggrandizement. To him, it is not about service but selfishness. Yet, if you think that Odinga is alone on this inglorious voyage, wait till you cast a glance at this. Jacob Zuma, the ousted South African president, recently among other things stated as follows, ‘I have come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect. Even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organization.
No life should be lost in my name. And also, the ANC should not be divided in my name.’
Nevertheless, such a development should not be a surprise as it is considered a useful ingredient in a democratic
environment. Questioning, condemning when we should, and commending when we can, form evolving democracy. What our leaders do with the issues raised should also be of concern to us. Looking ahead, therefore, if truly a people-purposed leadership is what we seek in Africa, if accelerated economy is our goal, if social and cultural development is our dream, if promoting peace, supporting our industries and improving our energy sector form our objectives, then, the solution to these critical demands calls for overwhelmingly urgency and demand a generational change.
Why? The simple answer is that Africa as a continent has talented and well educated youth who can build a modern continent. Apart from other fears entertained, one area of interest the people must watch in the interim is our political leaders’ expertise in adopting the tactics of the coquette. ‘A tactic that makes the public fall in love with excitement while these leaders remain inwardly detached; while keeping them in control. Such entreaties must be watched and controlled if we are to move forward as a continent.’ Very instructive also, it’s my view that fighting the dearth of leadership is a war that we must win. But, for us to be successful, we must first realize that to safeguard democracy, ‘the people must have a keen sense of independence, self-respect and oneness’, and insist on choosing the right people as leaders against all odds.
Finally, leaders on their part should not live under the illusion of a misguided cleverness but should ‘study history, study the actions of the eminent men, to see how they conducted themselves and to discover the reasons for their victories or their defeats so that they can avoid the later and imitate the former.’
Jerome-Mario writes from Abuja
