Ghana Minister of Sanitation Turned Her Home Into a Bank

The news agency Reuters reported a story about corruption in Africa involving a Ghanaian politician and the headline goes: Ghana sanitation minister resigns over alleged stashed cash. Headlines reporting corruption in Africa are not new and anyone who claim to be shocked hearing news of corruption perpetrated by African politicians is either a non-African who don't care about Africa or Africans who are agents and collaborators of these criminals who steal from their commonwealth. African politicians do not steal from their people because they are really in need, it is because they have some undiagnosed afflictions. Some illness I believe is of spiritual nature; perhaps mental derangement. Any average reasonable human being may tend to have some limit.

Africans or the West: Who is Underdeveloping Africa Now?

First published in May 2011

Image credit: Pixabay

I was at the 48th Africa Day 2011 celebration organised by the Africa Asia Scholars Global Network (AASGON) at the University of Medway, Kent on Thursday 26 May 2011.

AASGON is a social and economic empowerment organisation whose aim is to work to strengthen economic, educational, social and cultural ties that exist between the peoples of Africa and Asia leveraging the vision of the 1955 Bandung Spirit Network of countries of Africa and Asia as a model.

Talks centred mainly around under development and poverty in Asia and Africa and how much the West had contributed to the under development of these regions of the world. In settings such as this it was not surprising that European trade in African slaves, colonialism, imperialism, trade imbalance, racism, will take centre stage as familiar topics for discussion. Unarguably, the continents of Africa and Asia had suffered greatly from the actions of the West which has contributed, and continue to do so immensely to the predicaments of Africa and much of Asia today.

God Is Broke: Money, Nigerians And God

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For the Nigerian, there is God o, they would wail when things go wrong. Yes, but it's usually money first, themselves and then God. When a Nigerian arrives, meaning when they stumble upon money regardless of whether it's legit or illegit, they beat their chest and boast about how smart and/or hardworking they have been. It's their power, hard work or cunning skills. More often than not they take the credit and God comes last as they gloat. 

But then they are put to the test, like health challenges, career challenges, loss of business or jobs, financial misfortune, death of loved ones etc., God immediately come to mind and the first mention of God goes like this: God, why me, why now and what did I do to deserve this? There is God O becomes God, if you exist, God, where are you at this time of need?  What they know not how to do is self-examination, soul-searching sort of. 

Lagos And The Faux Lagosians

Image credit: Krucifax, Nairaland

Lagos is a cosmopolitan mega city with major conurbations. Before Abuja, it doubled as the main economic and industrial hub as well as the seat of the federal government of Nigeria. Lagos is still the economic capital of the country; it can rightfully be described as the melting pot for major industries, businesses and trading posts which has attracted public and private sector actors from across the country. 

Though the natural home to some Yorubas, Lagos belongs to Nigeria as Port Harcourt, the natural home to the Okrika and Ikwerri people in Rivers State, belongs to Nigeria. The same is true in all sections of the country. Until the the different tribal nations or geo-political regions of the country decide to go their separate ways as independent countries every Nigerian has the right to reside, work, engage in lawful enterprise, pay tax, vote and be voted for in elections anywhere in the federation. 

A Good Leader Cannot Govern A People Who Hate Themselves

"Who Taught You to Hate Yourself" - by Malcolm X. (May 5th, 1962) 

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Malcolm X, a teacher, preacher and speaker, gave this speech in a church in Southern California. The year was 1962. He spoke about internalized anti-Blackness in the Black community. At the time of this speech the preacher was, as a matter of fact, speaking about a mindset which plagues the African people both on the continent and the diaspora. He was addressing the African-American community in the United States but his words echoed a problem which is still quite common in African communities and families all over the world. 

Africans, on the continental or diaspora communities worldwide are bedevilled by a troubling trait; there seem to be the culture of unhelpful internal competition which leads to animosity, disagreement, rivalry. and violence in cases of "black on black violence".

Why Is Africa So Attractive, Yet So Poor?

 Why is Africa so attractive, yet so poor? - Prof. PLO Lumumba. 

This question, I believe lingers on the mind of millions of  well meaning Africans all over the world. I do not only think about this question, I do worry about it. I do worry because Africa lacks internal fitness in my opinion; it means that Africa is easily vulnerable to external negative influence. But most worrying is Africa's susceptibility to external exploitation which is made possible by the involvement of rogue and corrupt state and non-state African collaborators. Slavery was sustained by internal collaborators so much as they continue to collaborate with imperialist exploitation of the continent.

Africa is down on it's knees because the average African politician is an avaricious and corrupt loose cannon ball - aimless, selfish and very cheap to be purchased by any imperialist actor. 

Voices of Hopelessness

                                                        Image: Courtesy pexels.com

For the average youth and the silent majority of older Nigerians who dream of a future for Nigeria which will work for all Nigerians their voices got willingly muffled. They were silenced by the few who knew no civilised way to win in what was supposed to be a democratic electoral process. For them the future is uncertain. Their already inhuman existence is made worse by feelings of hopelessness and despair caused by the BIVAStarized open rigging of the just concluded 2023 general election.

The government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are not pretending not to be part of the show of shame. It appears that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu sold millions of Nigerians into slavery for thirty pieces of silver. This man is not a Nigerian in essence.  At this stage of Nigeria's bumpy journey to a democratic system guided by respect for the rule of law and established elections administration process, it is right to expect the INEC chairman to be seen to have overseen a process which can be adjudged to be fair, credible and free. He failed woefully.

The Time is Now to Change Africa

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Africans need to renew their minds in order to create much-needed change. Every African or anyone one connected to Africa and its people all around the world have the vision of an Africa which is free from poverty, diseases, ignorance, political oppression, economic inertia and the ills of imperialism.

Post-colonial Africa has existed for well over half a century but hasn't flourished in the modern era. Slavery, colonialism, wars, dictatorships and political violence, corruption, and economic mismanagement, have all played their roles in creating debilitating environments in which poverty, crime, and disease thrive. Religious mercenary and intolerance continue to play active roles in keeping Africa from real development. Tribal bigotry is a problem which needs to be tackled and the solution lies entirely on the ability of Africans to begin to foster different views of who they are and how they relate.

As the AIDS and HIV era fades into near oblivion Ebola surfaced and took West Africa hostage recently.