The African Tragectory Of Poor Leadership (Part 2) -By Richard Olanrewaju Odusanya

In the western world any time an attempt is made to identify Africa’s plentiful problems, the first issues most observers usually assert are bad governance and corrupt African dictators. In most cases no attempt is made to trace the root causes of the so-called ‘bad governance’ in Africa. In Africa, bad leadership in governments accross the continent, has been a major challenge underlying the current state of developing economies. Good governance position the state and brings remarkable social and economic development to the people.

In relation to Nigeria, the leaders are less knowledgeable and ill prepared to take up the mantle of leadership with neccessary charisma and selflessness towards serving the people. The leadership skills required are lacking and priority given to self enrichment and interest of the wealthy few.

Apart from rising cases of killings by bandits and other armed groups across different parts of the country, unemployment rate neared alarming levels over the last one year especially with many companies and businesses closing shop in Nigeria as a result of a harsh economic climate. It has even grown worse after the breakout of covid-19 pandemic. Debt rate is skyrocketing everyday, value of money in savings depreciating due to economic meltdown and the government taxing everything taxable to recover the money they looted which they will still loot.

These leaders are hell bent on dragging the country backwards with their unusual “share the money” governance style while impoverishing the impoverishing the masses. Another issue is that even when the leaders with vision, integrity and accountability wants to develop nation, the majority of the masses whom are ignorant and greedy is used against their saviours. Of course, that’s a reflection of the society of moral decadence we find ourselves.

The recent woes of the country is the commercial loan agreement signed between Nigeria and Export-Import Bank of China which allegedly “wills the sovereignty of Nigeria” in the $400 million loan for the Nigeria National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure Backbone Phase II Project, signed in 2018. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said that he didn’t know about the sovereignty clause in the Chinese loan agreement until recently, stressing that though nothing is wrong with the clause when addressing journalists at Idu train station in Abuja during a COVID-19 protocol compliance and inspection.

His words were;
“I just got to know that there is a clause in the agreement but it’s simple. You can’t take away the sovereignty of Nigeria but the implication is that if at the end of the day, you don’t pay the loan, the Chinese will take whatever they want without the nation talking about sovereignty.

“But what the Chinese normally do is that they go after the same asset to recover their money. So what is wrong with that? You are asking for $5.3bn. Just give that sovereignty. Now for me, the National Assembly in its wisdom thinks that is wrong, then they should tell us how to get the money to build these infrastructures. The loan to construct Ibadan to Kano rail is $5.3bn, and is being planned,”.

“He said there was nothing wrong with the investigation but that it should not jeopardise the government’s means of raising capital for long-term infrastructure development”.

In its entirety, what the minster was simply is saying that you can’t be poor and useless and still have a CHOICE except you want to remain perpetually impoverished but then you can imagine that when such loans are successfully secured, the leaders we have in Nigeria will envelop it and devour it, still leave Nigeria miserable.

Quoting Former President Olusegun Obasanjo where he mentioned that “Africa is cursed by issues of leadership”. I may not agree with him on so many things, but on the issue of Africa been cursed, he may be right.

It is pertinent to mention President Paul Kagame’s quote “I would rather argue, that we need to mobilize the right mindsets, rather than more funding, after all, in Africa, we have everything we need, in terms of whatever is lacking, we have the means to acquire, and yet we remain mentality married to the idea that nothing can get moving without external borrowing.” The wonder boy of Rwanda is a classic example of sound mind, good understanding and perfect example of Pan Africanism/good Leadership.

Nigerians are demanding the following: full disclosure of LOANS collected by various government and the conditions; transparency in governance and responsive leadership.

The masses are fed up. The situation in the country has become unbearable for the masses,  poor people’s situation keeps getting worse. While poverty continues to increase in our beloved country Nigeria, the rate of stealing of monies that could be used to improve lives and livelihoods keeps accelerating, on a daily basis.

Conclusively, we identify with the hapless citizens, victims of oppression, and our compatriots across the country, on the one year anniversary of freedom and the REVOLUTIONNOW.

Richard Olanrewaju Odusanya convener of– AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI