Bad Leadership;Africa's Weapon of Mass Destruction.


I have always had a problem with the image of Africa to the rest of the world;that of being a dark continent  where hunger,poverty,illiteracy etc reign.I get disturbed when I see posters of malnourished children as a signature of Africa,and wonder when I will wake up to see a more positive image of this wonderful continent.

Why is Africa still poor? Why are  people dying from hunger and poverty even in the 21st century?Is it due to the effects of colonialization?Lack of natural resources or human capital?Laziness?Are African leaders elected?Is there democracy in Africa?

 Yes,there is democracy in Africa if that is what you were just about to ask,REAL democracy.It is real democracy since our leaders are elected through suffrage,the right to vote.Democracy prevails where citizens have the right to vote for or against laws or leaders. In a government that holds democracy as one of its foremost  fundament principles, aspiring Leaders are supposed to present the policies that they wish to adopt once they assume office,which include among others,policies of growth.

Just what should we,the citizens expect from a worthy leader?Do we expect them to have supernatural powers to bring succesful growth in our countries?I do not think so.We expect of them,to,at least,I mean at least,have the needs of the broader population as the FIRST  priority.Armed with this,they can be able to make wise, informed decisions that can foster growth,and not dwell on their own selfish interests which could be financial or any other ulterior motives.

But is this exactly what we do?Do we chose leaders who have our interests at heart?Why do we fail to choose worthy leaders?Could it be due to our inability to choose leaders with values?I am not talking about leaders with a loud mouth and a huge goat-belly,but one with  values beyond reproach.

Let us look at some of the fundamental values that any person who qualifies to be a credible leader should have.

INTERGRITY
The dictionary defines intergrity as ' adherence to moral and  ethical principles;soundness of moral character;honesty'. It is therefore a concept of CONSISTENCY(key word) of actions,values,methods,measures,principles,expectations and outcomes.A leader of intergrity will therefore,under no circumstances trade their inner values for whatever personal benefit.This is the only way we can trust a leader to undertake honest dealings under well controlled emotions as well as predict outcomes of actions.A leader of intergrity is approachable and recognize the need to attract followers.


HONESTY
Honesty reveals the true personality of a leader,exposing even his undoings therefore giving room for constructive criticism.This then makes him credible and trustworthy,which generates confidence and respect amongst the citizens.Its all about choosing a leader who can tell us what we NEED TO KNOW,and not what we WANT TO HEAR.

 COMPASSION
A compassionate leader understands the suffering of citizens and thinks of what he can do to relieve off this burden from citizens.This makes him concentrate on the needs of the citizens,put himself in their place and think of actions that he can take that will be of greater benefit to the citizens.

CONFIDENCE
A self confident leader is not only an effective communicator,has the ability to empower and is passionate,but also possesses the confidence to make and commit to tough decisions.This builds trust which inspires and motivates people to do things and have faith in the leader and what he stands for.A good leader does not make decisions based on  his loyalty to his  political party,but does so for the best interest of the nation at large.Confident leaders are accountable;they take responsibility of their actions and in case they make mistakes or fail to achieve objectives,they focus on analyzing the problems and not looking for people to blame.

As we look forth to elections next year,let us focus on a leadership that can be for us,and not against us;one full of transparency and accountability.Let us say no tribal profiling,and get leaders who are development-minded.We owe it to the future generation;our actions today will impact them;positively or negatively.If you care about the future generation,the chance to do so is now;by CHOOSING AND VOTING WISELY.Let us say no to GREEDY and CORRUPT leaders.

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