LEADERSHIP, THE NIGERIAN SITUATION AND LESSONS FROM RWANDA
Between 7th April 1994 and 15th July 1994, the combined murder of Rwanda’s president, Juvenal Habyarimana and The Hutu president of the neighboring Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira sparked the reprisal killing of an estimated eight hundred thousand (800,000) people of the minority Tutsi, Twa and moderate Hutu clans – an equivalence of the country’s 70% total population. This evil act was perpetrated by government-backed forces in the army, police, militias and other armed civilians of the Hutu clan. According to History, It is not a subject of debate anymore that the genocide had being planned at least a year prior to the time.
Twenty five years on, Rwanda has moved on from the nightmare and is gradually becoming a model of economic development for all other African countries. The strife for development is being chaired by Paul Kagame, a member of the Tutsi clan who became the country’s president in year 2000. Though making considerable progress, Kagame has been widely criticized for his totalitarian way of leadership, but his retort remains that he will not be lectured by those who failed to do nothing during the genocide and the Western world who see all Africans as inferiors. The efforts to rebuild the country’s economy since the genocide have been centered on two major sources: tourism and export of tea and coffee. In addition with the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Rwanda has been able to make commendable economic reforms, achieved an average of 5% annual GDP growth and sustain the resulting growth rates over the last decade. Through tourism alone, Rwanda made over $1B between 2015 and 2019; a recent evidence is the three year sleeve sponsorship of Arsenal football club from which the country had made $88.3M in 2018 alone, this sponsorship only cost Rwanda $44.3M! Apart from economic development, Rwanda is rebuilding itself through youth and women empowerment. Two-thirds of Rwanda’s population is under the age of 25 so much hope is in the country’s youth. This is evident in having the highest percentage of children attending school in Africa and a reducing unemployment rate. The plan to make Rwanda a haven of development is never short-term and the targets set are not ephemeral; by 2035, Rwanda aim to become a Middle Income Country (MIC) and High Income Country (HIC) by 2050. With less to talk on due to necessity, Rwanda, under the leadership of Paul Kagame, has been able to set the pace for prosperity [without petroleum and very few solid minerals] through human capital development, zero-tolerance for corruption, investment in technology and education, incredulous economic and structural reforms, long-term development plans, sincerity of purpose, working with knowledgeable people, well placed friends such as former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, purpose driven pastor, Rick Warren and Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, and notably, what could be referred to as “Rwanda people first policy”.
Going up North-west from Rwanda, that is crossing through Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Cameroon is a country called Nigeria. A country once referred to as “The Giant of Africa” and rich in natural resources both solid and liquid. Nigeria has moved from being a prospect of economic development to the poverty capital of the world and dormancy in that area of life, minus inflation rate during the early 2000’s to double digit inflation now, a model for educational development to the same education being referred to as scam these days and many more. With less to say once more, the ills and perils have ravaged Nigeria neither because of natural disasters, climate change, global economic recession nor the asteroid impacts that wiped away the dinosaurs billions of years ago but because of poor and brainless leadership, maladministration, bribery and corruption, selfishness, greediness and a total lack of focus on the people since “Nigeria” is not just a place but a people. Instead of being “a developmental Kagame”, “a sensible part of Donald Trump” and “a civil and forgiving Nelson Mandela”, the leaders have chosen to sell their souls to the devil and wine and dine with him. Of course you do not have to be a Luciferan or a member of the fictitious “illuminati” before you sell your soul to the devil; while being a leader and you fail to avoid avoidable mistakes, deliberately bring hardship alongside lacks and wants on your followers through bribery and corruption, you have sold your soul to the devil and become one of his agents.
So, instead of continuing in the path of poverty creation and poor leadership, why not draw a sensible plan for sustainable economic growth, human capital development and people-centered policy like Rwanda, a landlocked country with no oil and few solid minerals?
Kolade Chris (Ksound),
(Christmas967@gmail.com)
A concerned Nigerian.
Twenty five years on, Rwanda has moved on from the nightmare and is gradually becoming a model of economic development for all other African countries. The strife for development is being chaired by Paul Kagame, a member of the Tutsi clan who became the country’s president in year 2000. Though making considerable progress, Kagame has been widely criticized for his totalitarian way of leadership, but his retort remains that he will not be lectured by those who failed to do nothing during the genocide and the Western world who see all Africans as inferiors. The efforts to rebuild the country’s economy since the genocide have been centered on two major sources: tourism and export of tea and coffee. In addition with the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Rwanda has been able to make commendable economic reforms, achieved an average of 5% annual GDP growth and sustain the resulting growth rates over the last decade. Through tourism alone, Rwanda made over $1B between 2015 and 2019; a recent evidence is the three year sleeve sponsorship of Arsenal football club from which the country had made $88.3M in 2018 alone, this sponsorship only cost Rwanda $44.3M! Apart from economic development, Rwanda is rebuilding itself through youth and women empowerment. Two-thirds of Rwanda’s population is under the age of 25 so much hope is in the country’s youth. This is evident in having the highest percentage of children attending school in Africa and a reducing unemployment rate. The plan to make Rwanda a haven of development is never short-term and the targets set are not ephemeral; by 2035, Rwanda aim to become a Middle Income Country (MIC) and High Income Country (HIC) by 2050. With less to talk on due to necessity, Rwanda, under the leadership of Paul Kagame, has been able to set the pace for prosperity [without petroleum and very few solid minerals] through human capital development, zero-tolerance for corruption, investment in technology and education, incredulous economic and structural reforms, long-term development plans, sincerity of purpose, working with knowledgeable people, well placed friends such as former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, purpose driven pastor, Rick Warren and Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, and notably, what could be referred to as “Rwanda people first policy”.
Going up North-west from Rwanda, that is crossing through Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Cameroon is a country called Nigeria. A country once referred to as “The Giant of Africa” and rich in natural resources both solid and liquid. Nigeria has moved from being a prospect of economic development to the poverty capital of the world and dormancy in that area of life, minus inflation rate during the early 2000’s to double digit inflation now, a model for educational development to the same education being referred to as scam these days and many more. With less to say once more, the ills and perils have ravaged Nigeria neither because of natural disasters, climate change, global economic recession nor the asteroid impacts that wiped away the dinosaurs billions of years ago but because of poor and brainless leadership, maladministration, bribery and corruption, selfishness, greediness and a total lack of focus on the people since “Nigeria” is not just a place but a people. Instead of being “a developmental Kagame”, “a sensible part of Donald Trump” and “a civil and forgiving Nelson Mandela”, the leaders have chosen to sell their souls to the devil and wine and dine with him. Of course you do not have to be a Luciferan or a member of the fictitious “illuminati” before you sell your soul to the devil; while being a leader and you fail to avoid avoidable mistakes, deliberately bring hardship alongside lacks and wants on your followers through bribery and corruption, you have sold your soul to the devil and become one of his agents.
So, instead of continuing in the path of poverty creation and poor leadership, why not draw a sensible plan for sustainable economic growth, human capital development and people-centered policy like Rwanda, a landlocked country with no oil and few solid minerals?
Kolade Chris (Ksound),
(Christmas967@gmail.com)
A concerned Nigerian.
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