PROBLEMS OF LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA

PROBLEMS OF LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA

For half a century leaders have fooled the masses. By all standards, leadership is not supposed to be a tea party like many have taken it to be. Leadership is strictly an instrument for development, unity, peace, and security. Society is usually exposed to varying degrees of threats, whenever leadership fails.

It often said that bad workmen quarrel with their tools. The same thing applies to leadership. Bad leaders are fond of blaming others for their failures. One prominent characteristic of bad leaders is the readiness to invest in recruitment of orators and propaganda wizards to help deceive and pin down the patience of hapless citizens.

The blame culture our leaders indulge in has helped to expose one painful fact, most public office holders do not understand the true meaning of leadership. Some, therefore, see leadership as opportunities to advance tribal or religious agenda. Others simply see leadership as platforms to amass wealth. Except our leaders begin to appreciate what leadership truly is, Africa might continue to suffer underdevelopment, unemployment, poverty, crime and insecurity.

It will be an understatement to declare that Africa has lacked purposeful leadership for the most part of its existence, there is no doubt that Africa has one time or the other, been blessed with honest leaders. The problem has been that these honest leaders mostly surround themselves with dishonest people in the form of advisers, ministers, and confidants. It is natural for honest leaders that accept support from dishonest people, to become dishonourable within a very short period of time.