Young Continent and Old Leaders!!

Tomorrow's Political Leaders when? - Young Continent and Old Leaders.

In any sane society - the leaders of tomorrow are getting groomed with the right experience to lead when the time comes.

Westerners understand that in this jet age it takes a young mind to lead to the Promised Land. It’s not just the mind that is young but the body is agile and the ability to relate with other Young leaders across the globe to the benefit of the Country/State.

France is a first class developed Nation with the population of nearly 70million people and a healthy GDP; they just elected a 39yr old - Emmanuel Macron as President. Justin Trudeau was 43yrs old when he was elected as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. The current Prime Minister of Estonia – Juri Ratas came into office in 2016 at the age of 38. When Kim Jong-un of North Korea assumed office in 2012, the clown was 30yrs old. Charles Michel – the incumbent Prime Minister of Belgium took over in 2014 at the age of 38. Leo Varadkar was elected as the Taoiseach of Ireland at the age of 38! All these Nations are developing and proud of their leaders – excluding the North Korea young lad; his country does not practice nor knows what democracy is.

This is another story in the continent of Africa. An average 40yr old is still struggling to find a job to feed his or her family i.e. if there is any at all as having a family can be a luxury; or finding it hard to pay his rent, with such worries – seeking for an elective post is the least of his aspirations. But here is the twist, which is exactly where those in government want the fella to be, a less educated, miserable and hopeless man is an easy subject to rule over.

The irony here – most of the present African leaders came into power as Young men. Paul Biya of Cameroun became Prime Minister in 1972 at the age of 42 and became the President in 1982 – He has been in power for 42yrs! And no Cameroun is not any better than he met it! Robert Gabriel Mugabe of Zimbabwe has been in power for 37yrs! He became a Prime Minister in 1980 and the President in 1987 – and again Zimbabwe which was the food basket of Africa has lost it all due to his Pan-African ideologies, the currency is currently nothing worthy – he is not in any way ready to relinquish power, he is 93yrs old!!

Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea has been in power since 1979 – 38yrs in power. Denis Nguesso of the Republic of Congo has been in power for 33yrs in total (He lost power briefly). Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has been in power for 31years.

Africa Development is tied to its leaders – Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is 93yrs old. Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan is 72yrs old. Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni is 72yrs old. Paul Biya of Cameroun is 83yrs old. Angola’s Jose Eduardo dos Santos is 74yrs old. Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema is 74yrs old. MuhammaduBuhari of Nigeria is 73yrs old. South Africa’s Jacob Zuma is 74yrs old.

There is a huge gap between African leaders and the common citizen, the continent of Africa has a leadership age gap disconnection between the leaders and the led. Young people that are supposed to be in power now were born after these leaders had come into power and they don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon either.

The same set of people in government 30 to 40yrs ago are still in government today. The same people are still spinning around on swivel chairs and completely senile and yet they have refused to unclench their grip on power and continue to hold forth even when it’s obvious that they no longer have a direction neither do they have a clue on what they are doing.

These leaders have been busy scamming the people with the saying that with age and longevity in office comes wisdom, foresight, and experience – well if by what we can see on the ground then this is completely untrue and a contradiction to their abysmal performance with economy in shambles and uncertain socio-political stability.

It’s only in Africa that you have Minister of Youth or a Youth representative in government between the age of 50 and 60.

I once challenged a political leader on this and he was quick to defend himself that “where are the youths” – the educated ones are fleeing abroad to develop other nations, those that are at home are abusing drugs and majority are cultist, the young people of this generation care-less about what’s happening in government provided their daily needs can be met. He said when they are in their prime age; they fought the colonialist off their land and gained independence from their “masters”.

He wondered what this generation is waiting for! Are they waiting for the older generation to call them into a meeting and willingly hand over power? They will wait forever – power is never given willingly, you seek for it!

Until the young generation realise that it’s time to challenge these gluttons in power, stop accepting peanuts from them, stop following blindly. The population of young men and women are far more than these out-dated leaders.

General Muhammad Buhari was a state Governor in 1975, Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources in 1976 (He holds the same office again today -2017 – 41yrs later!). He later became the Chairman of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in 1977. General Buhari became the Head of state via a military coup that overthrew a democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. GMB was the head of state between 1983 to 1985 and again he won the 2015 general election and currently sits as the President of the most populous black nation on the planet.

The world is progressing as they have embraced the innovativeness of youth vibrancy, adaptability, and energy. Africa, on the other hand, is way behind and struggling to keep pace with other continents’ development due to its out-dated, self-centred and aging leaders.

If we can all build our capacity for leadership – we won’t have to beg to become leaders. When they told us “Youths are the leaders of tomorrow” – we missed to have asked them what they meant by “tomorrow” as it looks like they meant another generation after us.

Nigeria – a Country of over 180million people and millions are with a college education. Yet, various septuagenarians are still calling the shots and making laws.

Unfortunately, old leaders never go away, and the people just never complain either.