7th July, 2025 Author: Freedom Legend Daniel Njienue
Of a truth, the beauty of true democratic system of governance is attainable when patriotic, experience and courageous citizens take the mantle of leadership. When Thomas Sankara was asked by a French journalist why he changed his country’s name from UPPER VOLTA (a colonial name), to BURKINA FASO meaning Land of Upright people, His reply was; “Upper Volta didn’t mean anything to us as a people (we are not French). But Burkina Faso comes from the soil, our soil. Burkina is the mossi word; the predominant ethnic group for “Honesty, Integrity, Uprightness” While Faso is the Dioula/Mandinka word; for the “Land of our Fathers”.
Africa and Africans might currently be in time of tribulation and trial but with the like of some political leaders and technocrats in strategic positions of governance, our dream leaders have been tirelessly working round the clock to guarantee Africans and Africa a true democratic representation and governance against all odds. One of the biggest problem facing Africa’s economic development is the role of religion, tribalism and nepotism in our political system.
Only few of our representatives in government are not tribal bigots. The act of religion, tribalism and nepotism has caused a lot of damages to our political system and as well acted as a negative factor against economic growth and development which is gradually becoming a culture in our anatomy.
“If an abomination stays too long, it’s becomes part of the people’s culture”.
Today, Africa is presently almost like the Titanic ship that when it’s was built as at that time nobody believed in history of humanity that the ship will sink but when it went down, it took everybody on it. I am not trying to preschool about our geographical entity, but we just have to be realistic and accept the realities of Africa today. In an actual sense, politicians are elected by the people to represent the interest of the people and not their personal interest, that is why ‘democracy’ is defined as, “government of the people by the people and for the people”.
The political class are expected to represent the preference of their constituent against theirs but most politicians in today’s politics diverge from their constituents preference which is unconstitutional. They came into their offices through the masses and as such ought to respect their social contract’s. The major reason why most of them diverge from their constituents preference centers on, “personal interest”.
Nevertheless, it’s true that politicians preferences may not be totally swept under the carpet but they are supposed to prioritize that of their constituents. They are the politrick-cians who deceive the poor masses to enrich themselves and their families while our situation continue to detornorate. The crave for better live in Europe by Africans especially some of our leaders is not new to the people.
Most prominent Africans are seen living their lives in the diaspora and holds allegiance to those countries either by birth or by naturalization. In most cases, some politicians made those foreign cities their second home because of what they get from those countries. The most annoying part of it all is that some of these politicians that travel frequently overseas always come back home during the electioneering period to seek for support not minding or daring to ask how we have been fairing as a people. Most of them always return to these foreign countries after the elections, only to resurface after another four years. They are never with the people neither do they understand the need and plight of the people. “Hit and run soldiers”.
If as a result of lack information, the youth of today are clapping for person who are destroying and taking away their futures from them. They don’t understand that it is the development of the mind that matters not because somebody gives you a penny to go and snatch a ballot box, kill somebody or harm someone. It’s will not work, Africa is in trouble and a failed continent, the signs and syndrome is everywhere! Today you have a bore hole in your house because the government has failed to give us water to drink yet there’s a budget to provide that water for us to drink every year and we are still drilling bore holes, buying generators to provide electricity it’s means that the government has not been able to provide electricity it’s a sign of a failed leadership system.
We are in a continent whereby people who are transparently honest are not being voted for by our youth because they don’t have money to give to them or buy their vote but they prefer voting for the corrupt ones who will buy their vote and they keep hailing them living legends, you will live and reign forever but our youth failed to understand that if they live forever, they will become a slave forever. And that is why today our youth have become volunteered slaves because they can no longer see the future, “if you don’t know where you are coming from, how on earth can you know where you start or where you are heading to”. In an essence we have taken to a point that we are volunteered slaves. “Extra ordinary situations call for extra ordinary measures”. Constitutional democracy, rule of law and preservation of separation of Powers are at the root of all these.
“If the judiciary is subdued and silenced, the bar are bench pocketed, full blown autocracy and unbridled totalitarianism would have a free reign, and the right, liberty and lives of the citizen’s would be in Jeopardy, leading to ‘might is right’ and ‘survival of the fittest’ which exemplifies a disorderly, lawless state reminiscent of the rule whose whims and Caprice and nothing more or less, is law”.
This era of administration in our geographical entity has turned out to be the most vicious in the history of our anatomy. Africans must therefore rise in condemnation of this dangerous drift towards democracy. “Credibility is a psychological and social state that exists when people believe in what is being said or done and give credit to people on the basis of the constituency between their words and deeds”.
Credibility may be a feeling a (recipient) political office holder possesses but it takes those around such politicians to decide whether he or she is credible or not. In our contemporary world, leadership is all about being motivational, innovative, attentive, active, resourceful, focused, consistent and reliable in other to defend and promote constituents or subjects.
It’s assumed that majority of African political leaders are seasonal politicians who manage contributing to the well being of their supposed subjects or constituents only when they are in corridor of power and vanishes when they can’t claim power or control of governance. Visionary leaders and strategic thinkers is what a nation need to move the nation forward. Even the scripture says, “where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he”(proverbs 29:18).
We need leaders who are future oriented, recycling old leaders will only give us old results. The youths have to realize that it is our future and that of our unborn children that is being mortgage. If the popular political parties cannot give us candidates who are ready to lead us into the future, then we must do away with them. You might talk about party structure and all that, but we the youth are the real structure. Let’s us wake up and embrace the Africa we seek.
AFRICAN VOICES INTERNATIONAL, FREEDOM IN AFRICA
