Values for African development (v)

Continued from yesterday

Good people must join political parties, run under parties different from the sick big parties, mobilize the population that are out there, non-voting, especially the youths, and change can be possible, all things being equal (meaning if election rigging can be checked). Politics is not evil neither is it dirty naturally, when corrupt people do not corrupt the process. It is simply the running of society by elected representatives entrusted with governance according to the Constitution and other laws of the country. Ideally, it is a good venture for good people with good character, positive and progressive ideals and programmes to avail the society of their wisdom, tact and expertise. The Proverbs 29: 2 states : “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”.

Darkness exists because of the absence of light, just as evil dominate because of the abdication of involvement, by the good people. Moreover, God is the basic authority for any politics and governance or government. He created man and organized his society as well as gave laws and precepts in the Holy Bible, for good governance and ideal society. In fact, God ran a Theocracy before Israel demanded for democracy in form of monarchy. Democracy is commonly defined as “Government of the people by the people and for the people”. This excluded any role for God, in the sense of secularity. But if you examine our two past National Anthems, there are clear mentioning of God’s role in our nationhood.

It is necessary that religion and politics are related. The very political system is Bible derived. The governance structure of Executive, Legislative and Judiciary is derived from  Isaiah 33:22 – “ For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King. It is He who will save us”). We need genuine repentant prayer by the generality of Nigerian people  for God to intervene by influencing the emergence of people with good hears and spirit, and who are compassionate and caring for the cause of the common Man, leaders who believe in and fear God, with integrity, simplicity, honesty, contentment and practical impact. But we are mostly a religious but not righteous nation, hence our prayers hardly have heavenly results. So many churches and Mosques  are established everywhere but they make little positive impact on the society . The Churches, Mosques and other Ethnic leaders have collectively failed in providing good leadership and governance.

R.A. Torrey writes, “We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.”

There is need for mass reorientation of the citizenry and reeducating the present and coming generations about patriotism, nationhood, nation building, civics, etc New curricula can be designed to provide this. We need a re-orientation of the entire citizenry about their political rights and fundamental human rights. History needs to be introduced into the curricula of all  students at all levels. People must know their history otherwise they will lose their identities with time.

There is an  urgent need to deliberately grow good leaders at all levels and in all sectors of African nations. The life and political values and methods of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as well as those of major Pan-African heroes, especially Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, etc should be developed as a subject of study in Africa’s  educational institutions as a way of motivating young leaders of Africa who ae in desperate search for successful leadership Models and heroes in Africa. Obafemi Awolowo is in the class of the Winston Churchills, Mahatma Gandhis, Marcus Garveys, Martin Luther King, men who changed the course of their people and societies by their good sense, caring hearts, sacrificial lives, charismatic leadership, intellectual and philosophical acumen, academic erudition, professional excellence and documented achievements. The books and publications containing Awolowo’s political ideologies and leadership style should be recommended texts for schools and universities. That way, a generation might be raised, who, though not having been fortunate to meet Obafemi Awolowo during his lifetime, might, through his ideas become genuine Awoists who run with his ideas to positively impact and develop their respective African countries.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen in the virtual audience, I thank you for your attention.

References:

Abegunrin, Olayiwola, The Political Philosophy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo,

Ingram, UK: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015

Awolowo, Obafemi, My March Through Prison,

Lagos: Macmillan Publishers, 1985.

Ayittey, George and Duru, Mike Eds. Voices from Africa

Lagos: Students for Liberty, 2016

Buhari, L.O. “The Contributions of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to the Growth and Development of Nigeria during the First Republic”, Annals of Reviews and Research, Vol. 4/4, March 2018.

CONCLUDED