friend's house to watch the election results for most of the
night. WOO HOO! I am glad it was such a landslide.
Many have asked about Nigeria's reaction to the election.
Here is an article from a Nigerian Newspaper called The Punch,
published yesterday, about the Obama's victory:
Significance of Obama’s victory for Africa By Oyewale Oyepeju
Published: Thursday, 6 Nov 2008
Americans are on the verge of making a remarkable statement
and changing the course of history as they elected the first
African-American president. For a moment, the world stood
still for a man of honor, a man who had demonstrated a good
understanding of today’s problem as it affects the common man.
What makes Obama presidency significant is not because he is
black; it is because he is one of the black men in the world
with dignity, conscience, a sense of patriotism and direction.
Obama’s model of change has restored the hope of the common
man, he has demonstrated a good understanding of the problems
that the average American faces and exhibited how best to
tackle these problems.
Is it his tax plan for an even distribution of wealth or his
plan to stimulate American economic growth that is not worth
appreciating?
In a world widely dominated by the capitalists, I think
Obama’s plan will go a long way to make the much anticipated
effect as regards even distribution of wealth among Americans.
With an Obama presidency, we will see a different America that
will fully take back its place as a world leader, making it a
country that will experience a real change in all
ramifications.
What lesson can Africa learn from the Obama victory? In a
continent where politicians play to the gallery, engage in
political gimmicks without the interest of the common man at
heart, having Barack Obama as the American president should be
the beginning of an end to the mess that has been the hallmark
of governance in our beleaguered continent.
Imagine the sheer patriotism and passion that characterised
the presidential campaign. Who will ever know that a ‘common’
plumber will be the centre of attraction during the U.S.
presidential campaign? The lesson from this is that it is time
our leaders had the interest of the common man at heart;
Leadership is not by writing and formulating policies that
cannot have the desired effect or by making promises that we
all know cannot be fulfilled at any point in time, all because
those that make the promises have no intention of making them
good to start with.
Our leaders should know that modern governance is beyond
godfatherism, personal interest or launching programs that
lack the required bites. Africans at large should see an Obama
presidency as a reason for a change in our individual
orientation, a change in the way we think.
Most of our problems actually started from our different
homes, as a person’s upbringing usually determines what manner
of leader he will become in future. What manner of leadership
will come from a child who was brought up in an environment
characterised by unusual corruption? Our leaders should
emulate the American system, the excuse that the systems has
been in existence for two centuries doesn’t hold water;
rather, having the right set of people at the helm of affairs
is the secret.
Yet, Africa is blessed with talents –– professionals that have
made their mark in their respective fields, but despite all
that, we are still faced with fundamental problems. We have
idealists and impressionists at the helm of affairs and until
the status quo changes, we will still go by the demeaning tag
‘developing nations.’
I also watched keenly the support that Obama enjoyed from
Africans back home since the day he made his intention known.
Indeed, the Obama phenomenon is like a bug that had bitten all
of us –– from his native home in Kenya to Nigeria, Obama is
widely celebrated. I’m sure some of us did not put so much
energy or faith in our respective national election as we did
to the American presidential poll.
I actively participated in every issue during the long and
unrelenting campaign, and I would have donated to his campaign
organi-sation were it not for the fact that donations are not
welcome from non-Americans.
In terms of stock-taking, inasmuch as we support Obama, of
what significance is an Obama presidency to Africa? Can an
Obama presidency solve our electricity problems, improve our
education sector, have a meaningful effect on our economy?
After all said and done, I don’t think an Obama presidency
will bring about the change that we so much desire in Africa.
Rather, it can only spur our leaders on to bring about the
desired changes. What do you think is the message he passed
when he rejected donations from Nigeria? He is obviously
telling us that we should use our money to solve our national
problems.
It is disheartening that a professor that knows the value of
education will encourage people to pay millions of naira for
table reservation for a fundraiser when the nation’s education
sector has been in a state of decadence for such a long time,
with no one showing the slightest interest in revamping it.
Where is our sense of patriotism?
These are people that condemn the education sector, they are
the ones that will tell anybody who cares to listen that
Nigerian graduates are not employable. It’s time the people
up there realised the need to give back to the society that
made them, instead of throwing our collective wealth
carelessly around, or sending their children to better
equipped overseas schools because they have lost faith in our
education sector. As leaders, they owe this country so much,
else the products of our condemned education system will end
up being the armed robbers next door.
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