Africans should be blamed for electing incompetent leaders, turning round to blame others for hardships & asking for military take over—Alex Otti

Governor, Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti has blamed Africans for electing incompetent leaders at the polls and turn around to blame others for the hardship in their country.
Speaking at the George Washington University, DC, United States, as a keynote speaker, on a theme; ‘Tapping into the next frontier: leadership and the imperatives of new development paradigm for Africa, Dr. Otti, said that no society has ever risen beyond the quality of its leadership, and there is no proof that Africa will be different.

“We cannot elect provincial leaders and expect to play in the same league as nations that are very painstaking in their leadership selection process. The point must be made that no fundamental transformation can come from leaders who have not passed the integrity, competence and compassion test.

“Across Africa, we find endless instances of leadership failure. The images of desperate young people taking impossible routes to escape the harsh realities at home offer a severe indictment of the quality of leadership we have had over the years. The same can be said of our alarming statistics on poverty, hunger, unemployment, inflation, balance of trade deficit, poor state of public infrastructure, and collapse of critical state institutions.

“To begin the rebirth process in Africa, we must admit that we have not done so well as stakeholders, except, of course, the young people who have brought us here to paint a new portrait of the future. Even then, many young people, especially a few with great reach and influence, have also failed to live up to expectations. These are the ones who run dirty errands for politicians, unleashing violence on innocent citizens, spreading falsehood through media channels, and selling their conscience for money in the causes and characters they promote. It bears repeating that no progress can be made in a society where there is a price for everybody, opinions are for sale, and truth means little to those who shape public opinions. How about those who trade their votes for favours right at the polling unit? Shall we talk about the electoral administrators who manipulate figures to proclaim losers winners in elections? Do we also blame external forces for the unrest and upheavals caused by these unpatriotic individuals?

“To be clear, it would be foolhardy to suggest that there are no foreign actors with vested interests in Africa. For this group, their biggest nightmare is Africa, where the leadership serves the broad interest of the majority of the local population. Coups have been planned and executed to remove certain leaders. At the same time, there has been foreign interference in our local elections in support of candidates whose loyalty may lie outside Africa. There are historical anecdotes to support the role of foreign actors in undermining Africa’s economic and political interests through various means that stretch from lop-sided mineral exploration deals to sponsorship of civil unrest,” he further said.

The Abia State Governor emphasized that these foreign interferences occur only because there are willing local collaborators.

“It may not be very pleasing to the ears, but the truth is that the world runs on pragmatism, not sentiments. Global actors are always on the lookout for opportunities to advance their national interests, even if it means cheating, lying or presenting a false front. Morality is the last thing that is considered in the wheeling and dealing dynamics of international politics. Only interests count. Unfortunately, many of us in Africa are yet to understand how these games are played to be able to protect ourselves from being victims of the very dangerous schemes that often involve exploitation, extortion, and similar under-hand dealings.

“My argument is that we need to wake up, get our acts together and come to terms with the fact that only Africans can save Africa. We are the only ones who have the genuine motivation to tackle Africa’s age-old challenges of poor resource mobilisation and utilisation. Today’s gathering has brought together leaders in various important ecosystems, including politics, finance, energy, academia, law and jurisprudence, amongst others. It is also exciting to see the desire of the African diaspora communities across the developed world to make an impact in our motherland. Our task at the end of today’s engagement is to come to a consensus on what we need to do in the months and years ahead to grow this new consciousness about the role of leadership in reshaping Africa’s future.

“This brings me to the subject of democracy. Most of the time, we limit the more considerable import of democracy to mere voting and the routine events of winning or losing elections. This is a very parochial interpretation of democracy, partly why we have not made substantial progress, not minding the frequency of elections.

“Democracy is about holding leaders to account, asking questions where necessary and insisting that those in leadership positions can only pursue causes that align with the genuine aspirations of the majority. Democracy has no room for docility because human beings, especially those in privileged positions, are often prone to complacency and hubris. The duty of citizens in a democratic society is to keep a constant eye on what the leader does and ring the alarm bell as soon as evidence of poor judgment in resource utilisation is established.

“Technology has made the democratic space larger and given us the voice we never had before now. Through different media platforms, we can share our collective concerns and compel the political elites to be accountable. I believe that with a smart device, any of us can do so much good for the continent, whether it is calling out leaders for poor judgment, whistle-blowing or bringing the whole world’s attention to positive or negative developments in our communities. Yes, we can use our social media platforms to also tell the world about the good things happening in our communities because, ultimately, the responsibility of telling a balanced story of Africa falls on all of us. I must, however, observe that in some cases, these platforms have been used to churn out fake news, propaganda and falsehood which makes some people pay little attention to it,” he stressed.

Gov. Otti explained that many across the continent are understandably losing faith in democracy and openly calling for other forms of government, including a military takeover of power.

“This, to say the least, is most unfortunate. It is an indictment on the leadership, but it also speaks to the anger and frustration of the ordinary people who have become victims of the greed of political elites. The people are no longer comfortable paying for the ostentations of the leaders, and no matter what anybody thinks or says, when human beings are desperate to meet their basic needs, any other option but what is available becomes worth trying.

“There is, therefore, a growing need to save democracy in the continent, for that is the only way to guarantee inclusive growth and development. As I had hinted, we must think beyond winning and losing elections. It has become necessary to take the long view of our roles as citizens, the leadership selection process, the quality of individuals we promote for public offices, and our disposition to electoral outcomes. Violence has no place in a democracy, but such events can only be avoided by making the electoral process transparent through institutional mechanisms that are difficult to manipulate.

“The fruits of development can only mature in an environment of trust — trust in institutions, processes and systems. The investments that will stimulate improved living conditions for Africans can only happen when investors believe that the system is transparent and supportive. We will only be deceiving ourselves if we imagine that anyone will put his money in a system that thrives on bribery and nepotism — where contract terms are violated at will without any clear path to justice.

“The African diaspora community is already doing a lot through remittances and investments in social and economic sectors such as health, education and hospitality. However, one can say with certainty that our brothers and sisters in the diaspora have what it takes to independently fund the holistic transformation of the continent if we set up structures that offer better rewards for those who see Africa beyond the regular stereotypes of poverty and instability.

“With over US$100 billion in remittances in 2023, I believe we can double this figure in the next five years by initiating new development projects that promise not just financial returns but also job creation, community support, and improved social outcomes for targeted groups such as young people and women. Renewable energy, housing and real estate, hospitality, finance for rural women, ICT, and agriculture are excellent prospects where we can attract generous diaspora capital by simply creating structured incentive systems.

“Beyond investments in areas of high financial returns, one of the immediate action points I would recommend is a deliberate investment in civic education, a call to teach our young ones the duties, obligations and responsibilities of citizenship. We need leaders who are zealous about the development of all the countries in Africa and passionate individuals who are willing to make whatever sacrifices are required to build a better society. Our role as persons of influence is to look for promising young people to mentor and support them to become change agents in their communities”, he further explained.

He noted that Africa is a place where all of them, no matter where they live or the size of their bank accounts, are able to retire to a good night rest, certain that when they wake, where concerns about the source of the next meal will not compel to do what should not do.

“We want an Africa where the average kid growing up in Aba or Oshodi can compete effectively with their peers from Shanghai or Oxford.

“How do we go from where we are to where we wish to be? Again, the answer is in Leadership — taking responsibility for the outcomes we seek, how we interact with our environment and ultimately, the quality of decisions we make in our day-to-day activities. Leadership is about character, how we respond to opportunities, and the attitude we bring to what we do. It is in how we treat the weak and the vulnerable in our midst, how we respond to the challenges that each day brings, how we interpret reality and the message we transmit to others through what we say and do.

“Leadership is also about upholding public trust and deploying public resources to achieve critical social outcomes. It is in our choices at the polls when we vote for our leaders. Are we often driven by ethno-religious sentiments, or do we objectively assess candidates when it is time to vote? Are you one of those who insist that only politicians who share the same ethnic or religious identity with you are worth supporting?

“These intellectuals, Africa’s unending setbacks on the political and economic fronts cannot be separated from the insatiable greed of those who control world politics and economic systems. Even with changes in diplomacy’s tone and a new doctrine of engagement that encourages respect for every nation’s sovereignty, the cynics remain convinced that Africa has not actually been freed from the strings of the powerful global interests that, they allege, are strongly opposed to an economically viable and politically stable Africa.

“Intellectual conversations around the development problems of post-independence Africa have been dominated by finger-pointing, blame trading, and, most recently, disillusionment. Strangely, one thing we often see very little of in these conversations is a resolute decision to take responsibility, look inward, and ask a few soul-searching questions about how our actions and inactions as Africans have contributed to the challenges”, he stated.

The Governor advised that it has become imperative to reignite the Pan-African spirit.

“As individuals and groups, we must start thinking Africa and how to change how the world sees this beautiful continent. Our entertainers and story-tellers have taken the lead in projecting a new image of the continent, but we must be prepared to do a lot more. There is also good news coming from the tech ecosystem, from Lagos to Nairobi, Accra to Cairo and across our major cities. Something extraordinary is happening, and our young people are at the heart of it — building intelligent solutions that are changing how we interact with individuals and institutions. We shall do well to take an active interest in what is happening in the tech ecosystem at home and identify investment opportunities to create a larger pie for everyone.

“In Abia State, where I have the privilege of serving as governor, we are working hard to create a model society that runs on the enterprise, energy and resilience of our people. In the last 15 months, we have made unprecedented investments in our critical infrastructure to improve the business environment and we will continue to so make.

“We are determined to make Abia an investment destination in the region, creating new opportunity zones for dreamers across the continent. Our administration is very open to doing business with the African diaspora community because we share the same passion for seeing Africa work. As many in this auditorium know, Abia and its major city, Aba, mirror much of Africa, and whatever happens in the State is bound to reverberate across the continent”, he assured.