​African Leaders Must Be Born Again

You will agree with me that when you keep water in your mouth for too long it turns into saliva. Yes! Some African leaders are gradually becoming saliva in the mouth of their citizens.

I have been wondering why some particular African leaders have clinched unto power even though their regimes are nothing to write home about. Some of African’s longest serving presidents have long overstayed their welcome. They plunder much-needed resources from their countries while the populace starves and the national coffers run on deficits. Out of the 20 longest serving leaders in the world today, 10 of them are from Africa.

Teodoro Nguema also known as “national god” has been the president of Equatorial Guinea for 35years with his son serving as the vice president. Jose dos Santos has been the president of Angola for 35years and he is the richest African president with a net worth of $20billion with his daughter Isabel dos Santos as one of Africa’s youngest billionaires at a time when 70% of Angolans feed on less than $2 a day.

Robert Mugabe has been in office for 34years yet Zimbabwe is the 3rd poorest country in the world. Paul Biya of Cameroon has been in office for 32years with his rule characterized with human rights abuse and rigging of elections. Yoweri Museveni has been the president of Uganda for 28years. President Isaias Afewrki has also held on to power for 22years. He has turned Eritrea into a one party state with his political party “Afwerki People Front for Democracy and Justice” Despite the words “democracy” and “ justice” included in the name of his political party albeit, it is the only party allowed to contest in elections, and without the operation of private media in the country.

It is very pathetic to know that most of Africa’s longest serving presidents have their countries ranked among the world’s poorest countries. They are never ready to step down and any attempt to terminate their rule will result in unnecessary wars. We have experienced such meaningless wars over the past years and the only thing we achieved in these wars is to count the number of people who are left devastated by these wars and write history books on the wars for innocent school children to study and be examined on them. We have dug so many graves to bury innocent souls who have died in wars and conflicts, and others left at the mercy of animals at the expense of the rule of some evil and cruel African leaders.

My fellow Africans! Our God is not dead neither are we children of a lesser god. Why are people killed in Burundi today? Why should innocent women and children run away from South Sudan to seek for refuge in other countries? African leaders, why? Do we have to continue to bury innocent people in order to satisfy our thirst for power?

Jose Mujica of Uruguay is regarded as the world’s poorest president and this is because he lives an austere lifestyle and donates 90% of his $12,000 monthly salary to the poor and small scale entrepreneurs in Uruguay. He believes that his value is not in gaining more money and power; it is in the well-being of the people. He drives a 1987 Volks Wagen Beetle car and travels without a convoy. He stays in his wife’s house and decides to use the presidential palace as a museum to generate revenue for the country.

This could hardly happen in Africa right? The practice whereby African leaders hang on to power until death when their regimes are nothing to write home about must stop. Our leaders are not our masters; they are our servants. They must learn to develop love for their people. Leadership without love is reckless and that is what is happening with some of our African leaders. Some of Our leaders are laughing every day when they are not tickled and their citizens cry when they are not beaten, very pathetic. Nelson Mandela was jailed for 27years but he became a president for just 4years, something most African leaders will not do.

Today! We have Mandela’s name not only written in books but also on the hearts of many Africans. He showed true leadership and also proved that he was a man of destiny and of conscience. When I say African leaders must be born again, I mean that they must put the interest of the people ahead of their parochial interest.

“We are not children of a lesser god” Africa will see a new light. It can be done!

Ntenhene Felix
([email protected])
KNUST.