Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the last February 25 presidential election, emphasized that the trajectory of Africa’s progress hinges on the effectiveness of its leaders in making informed decisions.
Pinpointing leadership failure as the continent’s primary challenge, Peter Obi asserts that unless this issue is confronted, the prospect of attaining necessary development and growth remains highly challenging.
‘Unfortunately, Africa’s growth and development will continue to appear as an impossible dream if we do not deal with the only challenge facing Africa – leadership failure,’ Obi said in a series of posts on his X handle on Monday.
Elaborating on his perspective, the ex-governor of Anambra State points out that despite Africa’s wealth in human and natural resources, the persistent challenge of leadership failure remains a significant hindrance.
He said, ‘Africa, as the second largest and second most populous continent in the world, with a population of over 1.4 billion people, is home to a youthful, and dynamic workforce with the largest concentration of working age population of about 1.1 billion people, which when combined with the abundance of huge natural resources ranging from minerals to over 874 million hectares of arable land for for agricultural revolution, positions Africa as a key player in the global economy.’
Reflecting on the ageless words of the late Professor Achebe concerning Nigeria, he asserts that Africa’s core challenge is undeniably a leadership problem, primarily fueled by the hesitancy of African leaders to shoulder their responsibilities.
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Pointing out a disturbing observation, he alleges that governments across the continent are now regarded as ‘gigantic criminal enterprises.’
Obi said, ‘This is a point I’ve heard Prof. Lumumba make continuously. Governments in most African nations have become gigantic criminal enterprises where the citizens, especially our youths who have the talent and energy, to lead the world in technology, health, and other areas, have watched their leaders shamelessly convert public wealth that should be used for a greater Africa, turned into private pockets. This criminal style of leadership tradition must be dismantled in order to guarantee the youths a future.’
‘The fate of Africa is in our hands; especially, in the hands of our youths. We can ignite the long overdue emancipation of the African continent, by adding our voices to the need for change, but more importantly, by committing to ending Africa’s leadership morass.’
The Independent National Electoral Commission officially proclaimed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, with Obi trailing far behind in third place.
Tinubu, a two-time governor of Lagos State, clinched the title of president-elect by securing 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election.
In response to the election results, Obi asserted that irregularities had marred the entire electoral process.
The ex-governor of Anambra argued that the process that brought Tinubu to victory was deliberately set up to achieve predetermined outcomes.