Two major political issues dominated the African stage last week. The heart-warming, was the Tuesday inauguration of the continent’s youngest president, Bassirou-Diomaye (Bashiru in Yoruba) Faye of Senegal, the 44-year-old, with two First Ladies.
The gut-wrenching, was Uganda despot, Yoweri Museveni, crowning his daughter, Natasha, on Wednesday, as Governor, Central Bank of Uganda, completing a hattrick of nepotism in a country he has systematically personalised, in the course of a 38-year rule.
On 6th June, 2016, he appointed his wife and First Lady, Janet Kataaha, as the country’s Minister of Education and Sports. On May 7, 2022, he made his son, Lieutenant General Muhoozi (Muiz in Yoruba) Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence and head of Uganda’s military.
Yoweri is 79. Helen is 76. You can do the rest of the mathematical and political correlations.
Faye’s rise to political stardom bears verisimilitude to Biblical Joseph’s prison-to-palace story and Africa and even the rest of the world, should celebrate this rising star. However, optimism of a new beginning in Senegal and by extension, the rest of Africa, should not be stretched.
On Thursday, Faye handed the mandate to the original owner, by naming his obvious godfather (more like godbrother) patron and sponsor, Ousmane Sonko as the Prime Minister, signalling the direction his “administration”, is headed. Sonko was not on the ballot for president because he was judicially emasculated by the administration of “yesterday’s” president, Macky Sall.
Now, with just a gap of six years between them (Sonko is 50), two fire-brand former tax inspectors have taken over the reins of power in a country of close to 18 million people, ranked 110 in global economies, with 9.7% inflation. While the change in political order won’t translate into a magical dawn, the everyday Senegalese has earned the joy, flowing across Africa and beyond.
Stopping Sall and his sit-tight agenda, is a major political win, for Africa. Being vigilant enough to ensure the man voted, got his mandate, is also a testament to deepening consciousness in African politics.
Senegal is a two-day journey to Uganda but the new dawn in the former is definitely revebrating everywhere and when the people’s revolution would get to Museveni’s doorstep, all the monies in the Central Bank which his daughter now controls and the guns, which his son, now controls, won’t save him and Helen. Yoruba will say, iku to ba npa ojugba eni, owe lo npa fun ni (whatever happens to one’s peer is a warning).
Beyond Museveni, Senegal’s 360 degree new political order, should also be a lesson to other African despots; selected, elected, appointed, and self-imposed, though they are not likely to listen, because they will likely consider themselves better strategists than the man who fell.
Though Sonko is the new main man in Dakar, Faye has thrown a challenge of accountability in public service, by publicly declaring his assets, before the poll. Maybe that should go into our election law in Nigeria, compelling every candidate for elective positions to publicly declare assets before poll, considering that public pressure, threat of and litigation proper, hardly move elected officials again, since the Buhari era. Once, they declare what they usually declare with the Code of Conduct Bureau, domiciled in the presidency, and absolutely controlled by the President (also a declarant after election), public officials will simply turn the ear with wool and red palm oil, to public outrage, meant to force probity.
Even, the Freedom of Information Act, which is supposed to be a weapon of accountability, has been castrated in execution. The other day, Central Bank of Nigeria, under Goddy Emefiele wrote back to Femi Falana, public-good advocate and Silk, that his request for information on how billions of naira were expended during the 2020 Covid lockdown, which he demanded under FoI Act, couldn’t be fully granted because the apex bank claimed it didn’t have what it obviously had. He took the next option which is litigation. How many Nigerians, lawyer or not, would be dedicated like him.
The last Nigerian president to publicly declare his asset was Umaru Y’Ardua and then vice, and later president, Goodluck Jonathan. Then, Jonathan’s worth, as of May 30, 2007, was N295,304,420. No foreign accounts, no properties in foreign countries. When he became president after Ya’Ardua’s demise, Action Congress of Nigeria, then-opposition party, owned by today’s president, Bola Tinubu, heckled him endlessly to do another public declaration.
Today, the incumbent hasn’t publicly declared his assets. His predecessor, who won on the promise to “kill” corruption, would not fulfil the accountability quest.
Faye, before the poll, declared a home in Dakar, land in ancestral village and $6,000. It becomes easy tracking his acquisitions in office, after office. I know God has blessed some presidents more. Even Jonathan declared 3 personal houses in Kpansia, Otuoke and Gwarinpa II. President Tinubu should also publicly declare his assets, at least to confirm his wife’s assertion that they are too rich to steal in office.
No doubt, Yoweri and the rest of the Musevenis, are leadership shame for Africa. Closer home, we had nepotistic Buhari and now, tribalistic Tinubu. And it is very easy for those skewering Yoweri and plagues like him in presidential mansions all over Africa, to point at advanced democracies like America, in concluding that the disease of nepotism, in lockstep with corruption, is a Black man affliction. No.
America’s politics was riddled with it until 1967 when Congress included in the Postal Revenue and Federal Salary Act, a section containing restrictions on government officials appointing family members to federal government jobs.
That section of the Act, is commonly known as the Federal Anti-Nepotism Statute, though White House appointments were later excluded.
Before then, several presidents abused the power of appointment. President John Kennedy appointed his brother Robert as attorney general of the United States in January 1961 and also appointed his brother-in-law R. Sargent Shriver as director of the Peace Corps in March 1961.
Franklin Roosevelt appointed his son James to the position of administrative assistant to the president in January 1937. Six months later, James was promoted to secretary to the president. In October of that year, James’ responsibilities expanded and he became the White House coordinator for 18 federal agencies.
However, despite the past abuse, at least, America manned up to stop it. It is time for Africa to so do, starting with its giant; Nigeria.
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