By Adeola Ogulande
This piece is necessitated by the socioeconomic challenges facing Africa, coupled with the belief that the youth have an important role to play in stimulating
growth in society. Of importance is the current global
financial meltdown that is having a negative impact on
major economies such as the American and European
ones respectively. Also, the global financial crisis is
affecting Nigeria, among other countries in Africa.
Ironically, the Western countries are providing stimulus
packages to address the problem caused by the
meltdown while African countries are not taking
proactive measures to address the issue. In Nigeria, for
instance, the stock market is failing and people are
losing their hard-earned money. Companies are faring
progressively worse; some of our banks are failing; there
is a continued outflow of the capital initially brought in
by foreign investors; and the foreign reserve is being
affected. This is equally the trend in southern Africa. A
distinguished journalist from Zimbabwe, Wallace Chuma
said, “The feared global recession is beginning to bite
South Africa, but the country is nowhere near changing
course, at least not yet”.
I must laud those Africa leaders who have risen to the
challenge, even though their intervention is coming too
late. Besides, their intervention packages are not
exhaustive, comprehensive or coordinated, and they are
half-hearted, to use the words of a columnist, Idowu
Akinlotan, in the Nation newspaper. The people are not
carried along and to me the package is like another
white elephant “paper”.
Sadly enough, when an issue of this magnitude is not
addressed in time, the coming generations suffer most,
just like when HIV/ AIDS was discovered in 1981. Back
then, there were prompt responses by the West to stem
the tide. To a large extent they have helped in mitigating
the consequences of the epidemic, but Africa started to
respond sometime in 1990. The effect is that, even the
children, who are the future in any society, are the
missing face of HIV/ AIDS in Africa. As a result, over
100,000 children are in need of HIV/ AIDS treatment in
Nigeria alone.
The question one would want to ask follows: Do we lack
the manpower or machinery to properly steer the affairs
of the continent in the direction of the “Promised Land”?
I would say no. We have these resources, but we don’t
have the right crop of leaders. We need leaders who
have foresight, vision, purpose and plans for the people
alive today, let alone for those of the yet unborn
generation. Bringing these leaders into being starts in
the home, the smallest unit of government.
As young people across the continent of Africa, we
cannot sit down and watch:
“Some self-inclined individuals (leaders) who are not
sincere and proactive in stemming the present global
recession. Just like in my country, they are busy
planning to share our foreign reserve to build some
white elephant project.”
“Some people giving us conflicting reports about our
place in the present recession all because they want to
remain in office against public interest”.
The battle cannot be won through an armed struggle, but
we must reposition ourselves to be seen as responsible,
responsive, determined, diligent, forthright, disciplined,
proactively involved in the democratic process at all
levels, ready to challenge the status quo through
intellectual contest and prepared to form a formidable
synergy of young people that will speak as a voice to the
voiceless youth in Africa.
Thank you for reading. Please continue to send in your
suggestions and comments. Kindly spread the message
to people in your homes, streets, market places, motor
parks, churches, mosques and town halls. By this means,
Africa will become a better place to live in.
Adeola Ogunlade, is a journalist, social activist & commentator, mentor, volunteer, coach, and a voice for the voiceless youth
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