THE PROBLEM WITH AFRICA 13

A man would pick up a chicken in the presence of his guests and removed all the feathers, hit it hard and squeezed its leg terribly that the chicken crowed in deep pain. After releasing the chicken, he then brought out chicken food and the chicken came back to him to feed from his hands. He was trying to prove that no matter how wicked you are, people would come to you if you bring out food. He was trying to convince his political guests his strategy for wining after he was brutal to his people during his last tenure. And true to his word, he won again.
What did he do? He bought bags of rice and distributed to people, promising them what he failed to deliver to them during the first campaign, accusing his predecessors as being the reason for his failures and promises to do better. Then during the voting, he shared money to them. As they vote, they get paid and thus he won and the people had to endure another tenure of horror from him.
Now he is leaving after completing his two tenures, he wants to enthrone his son, and when his friends asked him, will this people still vote for your son? He looked at his friends with smiles and said, ‘same people and same formula would give you same result’ and true to his word, after sharing money and food again, his political son won.
Africans don’t vet those they vote base on his honesty, empathy, selflessness and diligence, they rather vote for the devil who would feed them now regardless of what he’ll to them in the future.
Its only in Africa that you’ll see Africans campaigning and fighting themselves over a candidate who had failed the people woefully before because such candidate has given them money or promised them position.
Yes, we complain of leadership that we’ve set up ourselves and still showing willingness to keep them in power.
This had made political seats impossible for honest men to attain in Africa. We don’t root for honesty; we just want who would ‘share the money’
Politics in dirty in Africa not because the politicians are dirty but because we are. We vote for only the one who is willing to pay for our votes, and we allowed that money to blind our conscience from voting rightly.
Every election day, even Christians join the queue, they sell their conscience and vote for the wrong candidate because they’ve received money from him and later on, they’ll return to church and pray against the government officials who have paid them to have them voted him.
If we must progress in Africa, it’s time we stop behaving like that chicken that’ll return to its cruel handler because he has food he only gives when he needs votes.
Let’s stop betraying honest political aspirants, let’s desist from voting because of quick gains. Honest men usual don’t bribe because they cease to be honest when they do and if we don’t vote people who don’t bribe, we’ll never install the right people to power.
God bless you
Pst. Promise Ikpe