PRESIDENT UMARU YAR'ADUA A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF AN AFRICAN LEADER

Its amazing and mind-boggling the kind of people African presidents are. What is wrong with them at all? And what secrecy is shrounded in their adamancy for power that makes them tenaciously and greedily want to hold on to power even if all odds are are against them? Even if their head is cut off, one will not be surprised to see them fighting frantically to use their headless body to rule, and this ugly scenario and sordid spectacle is what the ailing Nigeria president Yardua is demonstrating to the world.

It was on the 23th November 2009 that Yardua was admitted at Saudi Arabia Hospital and on the 26th Nov. that he was diagniosed of Pericarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart and also long standing kidney problem. This is a precarious and frightening situation next to death that with a simple commonsense Yardua did not need any internal pressure to prompt him to gracefully give the baton to his Vice President Good Luck Jonathan to man the fort in his absence. But as a typical African power drunk leader, the man love the post than his life that he wanted to lie painfully and excruciatingly on the sick bed and still rule Nigeria. What is this, a tragedy or travesty?

In the light of this, an unwarranted pressure had to be mounted on him which culminated his first sick bed audio interview in Saudi Arabia on 12thJanuary 2010, of which most of his own people were doubting if it was the voice of their president and therefore clamouring for visual interview to really get the glimpse of him. And this is what most, if not all African leaders as well as other leaders in other capacities badly behave as if they perpetually own that leadership position as their personal property and therefore nobody is as wise as them to deservingly hold the mantle. Surprisingly and sickingly such infamy and inglorious disposition could even be found amongst our traditional rulers, church leaders which more often than not it riples into in fighting and kilings as we are witnessing at the northern region of Ghana.

But let me come to the African leaders particularly again. Cant some of the leaders learn from Nelson Mandela? The man who is eulogize as a legendary, celebrated stateman, an embodiment and a personified discipline and hard work and above all a distinquished political virtuoso, a phenomenal and a benchmark of leadership.Lets look Mandela, the man who spent all his most energetic life to fight for South Africa's independence in particular and injustices in Africa in general . He suffered imprisonments, humiliation, long separation from his family, and it was some of these cruel and inhuman treatment that sadly resulted in separation from his charismatic wife Winne Mandela due to a lot of things that happened in his abscence.

But after years of gallant and herculian fight and the day dawned on them, heavens smiled on them and light of justice shone on the land of South Afrca, Mandela became the first Black President in may 10th 1994 to June 1999 for only one term. This man Mandela sacrificed all his life and it would had been in order and still appreciated without a question to spend two terms as President. But the beautiful deed worthy of emulation and examplary to all the African leaders, was the ingredient and character of altruism and selflesness exhibited and demonstrated by this living legend. He knew that strength and energy was not on his side and above all wisdom does not reside in only one man 's head. In the light of this, this astute par excelence, handed the baton to the younger ones ( Thambo Mbeki) around to give he Mandela, more room and breathing space to spend the rest of his life to rest from the stressful and hectic leadership endeavours. As a matter of fact, no wonder that the man at the age of 91, is ever going strong and he has lived to fulfill all his days, his purpose and he is an admiration, respecting and respectable to the world wide.This impeccable and qualitative example by Mandela is conspicuously written in the annals of the history of African for any less intelligent leader to follow and become an icon and admiration to his people but they will never learn because of the obsession for power, as we see Yardua wants to rule his country on sick bed to his own detriment.

Indeed, one is beside himself and spellbound to see how African leaders love power and want to be worshipped all the time, so they dont care whether their health is failing and cant stand the pressures and the intensity of the work, or by forcing to be in power will result the death of the very people they want to rule, like what Charles Taylor of Liberia did. That is why octagenarian like Mugaby of Zimbabwe in his old age has held on so desperately to keep ruling to the dismay and disgust of the world. That is why some ex-presidents after they have reluctantly left the seen, instead of spending the rest of their old age life as wonderful admirable statsmen by using their much experience to help solve world problems, they still wanted to keep ruling and controlling behind the seen like what JJ Rawlings is doing. That is why some leaders like Mousa Camara of Guinea has precariously found himself in the Morrocan hospital battling for the survival of his life because power is imporatnt to them than their lives. It is in the same vein, that the president of Niger, Mamodou Tandja after he had finished serving his two terms he has to twist and manipulate the constitution to keep in power. Because to his narcissist and self-bloated ego, no one is as wise as him to rule, even when its too evident that he is a spent wood and destitute of ideas. You go to Uganda, strong man Yoweri Museveni is on the threshold of following the same power drunk cancerous disease of African leaders of manipulating to entrench himself. Paul Bia of cameroon has ruled for almost three decades and he is still going on strong. And Blaise Campore of Burkina Faso, is also no different but it was US President Obama who said Africa does not need strongmen but we need strong institutions which invariably produce enviable and relishing performance and this becomes the joy of the people.

God Bless Africa
EKOW WILSON-BAIDOO
( Crusader without violence)