"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
The Obamas made a trip to sub Saharan Africa with all the fanfare that one would expect from a consummate head of state, diplomat and an enigma.
Barak and his family made the best use of the opportunity that the position of the first family bestowed; visiting prestigious people, iconic places and making appearances and speeches to inspire the young and show the old guards how it is done with ease and charisma filled with the Obama aplomb.
President Barack Obama focused on Nelson Mandela's legacy and democratic progress in an address aimed at South Africa's youth.
Obama in his rousing speech said: "The reason I came to Africa is because Africa is rising, and it is in the United States' interests - not simply in Africa's interests - that the United States doesn't miss the opportunity to deepen and broaden the partnerships and potential here" and he asked South African youths "to seize a moment of great promise" whilst pointing to the legacy of Mandela and the ailing anti-apartheid leader's long-held vision of equality and opportunity. Obama was in no illusion that progress in Africa is fragile and he stressed that Africa needs to focus on expanding opportunity, promoting democracy and supporting peace.
He was in his usual astute and au-fait manner and got the attention of those that matter- the youths. For he knows with them, lies the future of Africa. He also told his attentive audience of the new US initiative to help improve access to electricity,that's a start.
By the look on the young people listening to every single word of the speech, it must have resonated with the young that someone that important said that they matter and that in their hands is the future.
So some Nigerians grumbled and felt slighted that the Obama Caravan missed Nigeria. I hear some said it was a snub that how could he snub the giant of Africa? Really? What has the giant done of late to warrant his status? Why do we always cling to our potential and not striving to ensure that we are indeed who we say we are ?. We need to rise above mediocrity and move towards excellence and 100% commitment.
Why should he? After all, the malingering state of our nation is there for all to see, except for those who remain deluded and out of touch with reality; the systematic corruption, forgotten generation, rise in unemployment, lack or nonexistence basic health and social care, human rights violations, broken down judicial and greedy legislators, and not to mention grand scale nation wide insecurity .
I do wonder at times about why we as Nigerians, like to show-off to the rest of the world about hosting leaders such as President Obama rather than for us, to focus on the main issues of solving our problems at home, protecting and looking after our citizens abroad, let us mend our extensive break-down of law and orders, the over inflated egos of our leaders and loss of humanity towards one another. So what makes us think that every head of state of note should kowtow and pay us a visit? Should we for one moment of appearance that he had not mentioned that Nigeria is failing its citizens, that corruption is rife and our leaders flout the rule of law?
Whatever the reason for Obama's omission, so if we call ourselves Giant of Africa when all we can muster is feeble purr? Whatever it is felt happened by his absence we should ask ourselves if it is really important in the full scheme of things, that Obama's one day hub-nobbing with our politicians, who would have argued and justified spending more money to grandstand the short stop over?.
Will the lives of ordinary Nigerians change? So in my opinion, it is not what people call you that counts, it is what you answer to! I really don't think anyone refers to Nigeria as the giant of Africa but ourselves. If this is the case, are we truly that? What is the point of believing we are giant of Africa and have no presence of mind or grace to better our people? Nigeria is not worthy of a visit and pandering to our leaders does not serve the needs of ordinary Nigerians. On the contrary, it would have endorsed their corrupt behaviour and greed.
And Obama in his speech was addressing this very issue"History shows us that progress is only possible where governments exist to serve their people and not the other way around," he said, drawing cheers from the crowd". And he continued "Across Africa, the same institutions that should be the backbone of democracy can all too often be infected with the rot of corruption. The same technology that enables record profits sometimes means widening a canyon of inequality" . So it is there for all to see and we should not deny the status quo, it is what it is.
So we need to get off our high horse put our house in order and stop throwing tantrums, when people do not acknowledge our presence. Only insecurity espouses such attitude if we are confident in our abilities,we won't for once care how people behave towards us because we would know who we are and be assured of our self-worth .
Bet they didn't see that coming!
"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."-- Epicurus
You know how they say that a day is a long time in politics? It truly is a long time. I had planned my page days in advance that but when I awoke on Thursday morning,I had to shelf my story. Watching the news that morning I heard that President Morsi was out, that the army was in. The president and his men have been held by the army in an unknown location.
The Egyptians had spoken, they came out en masse and they were determined that come what may, they had enough of their democratically elected president and they wanted him out. They returned to Tahir Square, the symbolic home for people's power, they refused to be moved unless their demands were met;the resignation of Morsi.
Morsi thought he could ride it out, gave in a little but a little too late. The army waded in and gave him an ultimatum, he still was not budging. In fact, he point-blank refused and that he was legitimately elected and could not be forced to resign that he would rather lay down his life for his country. Admirable as that is,in the end, the army moved quickly and decisively.
The Army general, Al-Sisi addressed the nation only 48 hours after the military issued its ultimatum to Morsi to yield to weekend protests of millions of demonstrators nationwide.
In his address to the nation, the General said,the armed forces felt it had no choice but to dismiss the president and "contain the cause of division and the roots of tensions and confront the challenges to exit the current crisis."
I have experienced several coups in Nigeria and its state of political uncertainty and it is only when you have experienced life under the army regime,that you value your rights and life as a free person.
For the Egyptians,they wanted a change and risk the army coming in over Morsis' government .
I do hope Nigerians of all persuasions are watching life in Egypt unfolding and learn from it . For the sake of those that fought and died for freedom I hope their fight was justified.
As President Obama said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned" by the day's events and called on the Egyptian military to "move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible through transparent process, and to avoid any arbitrary arrests of President Morsi and his supporters."
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