A Professorial Snap of Current African leadership
“Zuma’s statement sounds good at face value but, on serious reflection, it demonstrates the woeful failure of African leadership. Gathered at the AU Summit are the ‘leaders’ of African states who should be apologizing to our young people for absolutely failed leadership that has turned a richly endowed continent into a continent of poor people. They hold the power in their hands to prevent our young people into “refugees”. What is pushing out young people to take life and death risks running away from this continent? Instead of glibly bemoaning that Trump would not take African refugees, they should have used their annual Jamboree to discuss how they can ensure that our youths do not become refugees. They should be ashamed of themselves instead of asking Trump to admit African refugees. But we must also hold these “Rulers” accountable. The summit, if you can call it that, is a parade and spectacle, which painfully demonstrates that these men do not realize how further MARGINALISED Africa has become. It has become an arena of wheeling and dealing for positions, with not so creative platitudes, totally out of sync with the reality of a continent in serious distress. They cannot even pay for the building where they frolic annually, let alone pay for the programs of the organisation and we talk about INDEPENDENCE. Trump is the least of our problems. We do not need to berate Trump for not wanting African refuges. We do not want African refugees, pure and simple. The African paradox is painful. The discussions were banal and hackneyed, demonstrating a leadership that was incapable of serious thinking to address the dire of our political, social and economic malaise. I saw the culprits parading at the JAMBOREE in Addis Ababa. We need to look further! They cannot use Trump to divert attention for their failed and predatory leadership”
Prof Okey Onyejekwe, Governance expert, bringing back memories of Fanon’s take on the very nature of the African power elite
