By Emmanuel Woyee
emmanue.woyee@outlook.com
Africans, especially Liberians, need to begin owning up to our leadership choices and the total negligence of public service responsibilities, rather than continuously imposing the failures of our leadership failures on colonialism, which ended over 50 years ago. Too often, we gave power over the governance of our countries to dangerously incompetent leaders, hoping that miracles would happen once these individuals take office.
A recent case involved Nigeria. They elected to the presidency, at the time, a septuagenarian (78yrs) not only known to be battling with ailing health but also totally out of touch with the complexity of today’s reality. The dominant thought was that he would play magic to improve the systems and spur prosperity for the people. Buhari was voted on the twin agenda of “fighting corruption and improving security.”
While those were critically important vices that held the country back, they were not an exhaustive demand of a modern-day society, and on the Presidency, which from time to time, would come to be confronted with myriad other challenges that would demand energy, new thinking, extensive international network, and navigational skills and resourcefulness to address. Alas, due to his declining health and being overweight by the times, he ended up leaving the presidency with the people of Nigeria in a far worst and more perilous state than when he assumed political leadership.
It is reported that President Buhari was hardly seen in public. Obviously, he was too busy attending to his poor health condition while the nation stood still, and many Nigerians’ hopes were dashed.
Despite these overwhelming reports of the consequences of leadership deficiencies brought to bear by the election of an old and ailing statesman in Nigeria to the most critical office in the country, some people in Liberia are, like in Nigeria, bent on electing an 80-year-old former Vice President, Joseph Boakai, unrealistically expecting that he would move the country to a prosperous future.
It’s rationally difficult to see how he is going to do that, given the challenge some of the leaders of his team are already whispering around, of his inability to even campaign. We Africans continue taking the same road yet, hoping it would lead us to a different destination.
Africans need to wake up! Liberians should seize this moment to drive genuine change to save the future of all Liberians. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Because they have rejected knowledge, God said He will reject them from being priests for Him.
That is profound – he who will not learn from experience, including that of others, will suffer a repeat of its harmful consequences.
Let us seize this time and opportunity as a country and people to vote not for popularity, tribe, or county. Let’s vote for the best candidates. By doing so, you will be voting for our future, our children’s future, and the future of our community. Good bless us as a people and save our country🙏!
