The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has emphasized that the growth and development of Africa could be unattainable unless leaders address the critical issue of leadership failure.
He asserted that tackling this singular challenge is imperative for achieving the necessary development and growth on the continent.
“Unfortunately, Africa’s growth and development will continue to appear as an impossible dream if we do not deal with the only challenge facing Africa – leadership failure,” Obi said in a series of posts on his X handle on Monday.
The former governor of Anambra State clarified that leadership failure has remained a significant impediment despite the abundance of human and natural resources on the continent.
He said, “Africa, as the second largest and second most populous continent in the world, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, is home to a youthful and dynamic workforce with the largest concentration of working age population of about 1.1 billion people, which when combined with the abundance of huge natural resources ranging from minerals to over 874 million hectares of arable land for agricultural revolution, positions Africa as a key player in the global economy.”
According to him, to rephrase the timeless words of the late Prof Achebe on Nigeria, ‘the challenge with Africa is simply and squarely a leadership problem,’ primarily stemming from the unwillingness of African leaders to fulfil their leadership responsibilities.
He alleged that governments across the continent have become “gigantic criminal enterprises.”
Obi said, “This is a point I’ve heard Prof. Lumumba make continuously. Governments in most African nations have become gigantic criminal enterprises where the citizens, especially our youths who have the talent and energy to lead the world in technology, health, and other areas, have watched their leaders shamelessly convert public wealth that should be used for a greater Africa, turned into private pockets. This criminal style of leadership tradition must be dismantled in order to guarantee the youths a future.
“The fate of Africa is in our hands, especially in the hands of our youths. We can ignite the long overdue emancipation of the African continent by adding our voices to the need for change, but more importantly, by committing to ending Africa’s leadership morass.“
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