On the other hand, leadership was also created out from the word leader, which means, someone who shows people or something, the way to follow, especially by going in the front, to hold and guiding someone or a group of people to a particular direction.
Having taking cognizance of the both words, it is obvious that they are pointing at the same thing, and that is direction and leading. This means that, in leadership and governance, the followers look up to the leader, hold him high esteem, trust him because he is the eyes with which they see.
Now, a good leader or governor will not disappoint his followers, he must have the interest of his people at heart, he must be passionate, feel the pains of the poor, hear the cry of the helpless and come for help, create job opportunities for jobless people. A good leader must be able to render selfless service and desist from selfishness, he must make provision for training and empowering his people and encourage self employment, he must be serious with issues that concerns the youths as they are the future leaders and should not look down on the adults.
At all costs, good governance and leadership promotes education, agriculture, ensure stability of power, construct good roads for safe and easy transportation and make the cost of transportation affordable especially for people in rural areas, provide good water, good security system, and make the cost of living affordable for the masses. Ensure peace, unity and maintain transparency.
May I say that most leadership and governance in Africa has disappointed us and betrayed our trust because of what I call the “it doesn’t matter” attitude. This attitude is an attitude of selfishness, power and a drive for money. It doesn’t matter if I sacrifice with human blood, it doesn’t matter if I lobby, and it doesn’t matter if I kill my opposition.
When aspiring for the position, they will make so many promises to the masses, come to their local communities, dine and wine with them, compel them to give maximum support, promise the masses good road, stable flow of water, job creation, free education and all that. But when they become leaders, they will surround themselves with security men, go on cars with tinted glasses blowing siren, forget the masses that gave them support, live their promises unfulfilled, scare people away with security men, send tugs to kill any person who they discover is against their governance.
In this kind of governance and leadership, money laundering and embezzlement is always rampant, no job is creation as promised, no light, no water, no good road and youths are not empowered.
This is when young people run away from their country and go to another country looking for greener pastures, workers don’t get paid when due and some are owed three to six months salaries, if not more. It is also in this kind of governance and leadership that the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, violence is everywhere, there is always limited or no proper medical facilities and therefore people die as the result of lack of proper medication.
In the history of governance and leadership in Africa, only few people broke the jinx of good governance and leadership. People of great determination, who said: I must make an indelible land mark so that when I cease to live and become immortal, my name shall live and still better people’s life. Here, I am talking about people like Martin Luther King Junior, who broke the bond of segregation between the white and the blacks and made a positive change of unity, equal right and opportunity justice, after many years of struggle, during which he was jailed 20 times. He was ready to die for this positive change.
Here we are today enjoying unity, equal opportunity, right and justice. Worthy of mentioning in the history of good governance and leadership is, the great legend Nelson Mandela of South Africa, who fought with passion for the freedom of his country, and was even jailed for 26years.I cannot forget to mention, the great professor Gerry Rolence of the republic of Ghana- who with wisdom, silenced all other voices in Ghana and brought Ghana to were it is today- and Coffi Anan former secretary of the UN.
What more will I say about Professor Wole Shoyinka, whom I call “an epitome of leadership”. I will not fail to mention one man, a youth who has affected my life positively, the vision bearer, initiator and the director of Young Stars Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Development, to mention but few.
Very important in the qualities of governance and leadership is passion. Passion is the bearing of good governance and leadership, and without it, leadership is baseless because a good leader must see him or herself as a servant, be always close to his or her followers, feel their pains, put himself or herself in the shoes of his followers, give solution to their problems and always guild them well.
Now is the right time for youths to take pert in making decision that affects them, as they are the future leaders for good governance and leadership in Africa, because gone are the days when decision making is left in the hands of the adults alone. Youth have their own way of making things right, and if they are not given the chance to express themselves, especially in the matters that affects them, good governance and leadership will hardly be achieved.
All the eight millennium development goals of the united nations ,“eradicating poverty and extreme hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality, to reduce child mortality, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, develop global partnership …”, should be the priority in the pursuit of set out goals of every good governance and leadership because if these eight goals are achieved, the world becomes a paradise which cannot be achieved by some, but all.
I am of the opinion that time has come when we shall say a maximum and capital yes to good governance and leadership and say an audible no to the governance and leadership prescribing to the “ it doesn’t matter attitude” in Africa. Let us, together, take the bull by the horn because in togetherness much is achieved. May I also state here that when there is good governance and leadership- the people rejoice, and I will not stop until good governance and leadership invades Africa, and only then, we shall enjoy our dear African continent.
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