Imagine a vehicle driven by an inebriated driver, and the passengers are various sober professionals. The vehicle is zigzagging, so the concerned passengers start talking to the drunk driver and giving him elaborate explanations. But to no avail, the car keeps zigzagging, and a crash seems eminent. In response, they increase their explanations, but the inebriated driver fails to take heed because he is under the influence.
The passengers are too engrossed in their elaborate speeches to simply recognize that because the driver is drunk, he cannot apprehend their words and will continue driving dangerously. So, the solution is clear: the passengers need to talk less, take possession of the steering wheel, and switch drivers. Only then will they avoid a crash and be safe.
The passengers in relation to the drunk driver are Africans in relation to their leaders today. The car represents the country, the wheel is government, seizing the steering wheel is entering into public service and exercising firm influence, and swapping drivers is energetically engaging in the political process to replace the current group of leaders. The drunkenness of the driver (poor leadership) represents the myopic influence of corrupt selfish interests, visionless maladministration, and strategic incapacity. The zigzagging depicts the hazardous swaying of many African economies heading toward a crash.
Africans today have convinced themselves that the skilled, gifted, and good-willing people in their societies should avoid politics and public service. Instead, they prefer being exclusive private sector passengers who leave the driving controls to inebriated drivers, who then run the risk of crashing the car and destroying the lives of everyone in it.
Africans today are doing too much talking and not enough political action to enter governance. Memorandums of Understanding, Policy dialogues, Conferences, Meetings, global forums, investment retreats and so much else. A bunch of talking, big visions and grand plans… while the real conditions on ground keep deteriorating. There is value in these initiatives and there has been incremental progress in Africa that people can be proud. But it has not been near the real potential of Africa because proper leadership in the public sector is an indispensable element for the private sector to reach its potential! These are facts.
The long-term success of all these initiatives will be severely limited unless energy is applied to take possession of the steering wheel of governance! That is, energetically organize into political action groups and vigorously engage in the process to enter office and elect new visionary and “sober” leaders who are prepared to truly serve!
The car is zigzagging, a crash is coming … unless Africans change their mentality and change the drivers, so the vehicle can then progress along the marked lines of the African destiny!
Onward & Upward!
~Dr. Ikenna Ezealah
Nation Upbuilding 