The voices among African people grow louder for change. Many want change, feel ready for change, but unfortunately fail to take the first and biggest step required to effect societal change in Africa today:
… personal involvement in politics to contest for office.
Many talented Africans at home and in the diaspora conveniently sit on the sidelines, criticizing current leaders, giving policy recommendations, offering internet consultations from the West, attending Conferences, all in the delusion that they are taking “action” and engaging in politics to advance Africa.
The highest involvement of most Africans today is personal business initiatives in Africa that will net them a return on investment. In other words monetary gain for personal enrichment without the responsibility of public service.
We talk change, yet we ourselves avoid the sacrifice of personal participation and the crucible of public scrutiny that contesting for office demands.
We say “politics is dirty” so we will stay away to keep ourselves clean. Sounds good, but this is really an excuse. It is self-complacency disguised as self-righteousness.
Politics is neutral like water, it is who gets involved and the qualities they bring into it that make it dirty or clean.
The older generation is firmly entrenched in office and will remain there! So to expect them to voluntarily give up their positions to allow us and our “fresh ideas” to control and guide the national destiny is unrealistic; it is a disney movie and soap opera disconnected from objective reality.
If we want it, we have to go get it and be willing pay a personal price. We have to organize and mobilize ourselves to vigorously contest and struggle to take office from them. Nothing will be given easily, so we have to get it. And it will cost us something like every major effort does.
Our forefathers knew that political organization was necessary to gain mass support and control from the colonial governments, so they organized themselves and pressed ahead.
Today our generation has more education, international exposure, resources, technology, and the benefit of hindsight. Yet we cannot even be inconvenienced to politically organize ourselves to vigorously contest and earnestly struggle to takeover from the older generation. Yet we boldly talk change in Africa on the internet?
Truth is our words are serious but our actions are not. And it is time to change this.
So what change do you want in Africa?
Organize and mobilize yourselves into political action groups, put yourself or others from your group forward, then go and do it!
Enough talking, it is time for action.
~Dr. Ikenna A. Ezealah, PhD, MBA
Builder of the African Future
Nation Upbuilding 