When I came back from home in 2017, I posted these words on my wall so that I can see them every morning before going out and evening before going to bed: “Economic capacity dictates political power. Unless we take control of the economies in our respective countries, our kids will be slaves of foreigners in their homeland with no political power. I won’t let it happen.”I still have the same firm conviction and aspiration, but unfortunately, I was saddened to observe this past year that my hometown is further falling in the hands of crooked multinationals such as Orange. These companies, with their deep pocket and their ability to politically weaken institutions in an environment that is already conducive to it, are pushing folks into a nihilistic trap. Thus, individuals, particularly the youths, have become hardened cynics, unable to see the opportunities present around them. Even worse, they no longer believe their actions matter; no longer have faith in their ability to shape the world around them and no longer see their power to create and recreate healthy and thriving organizations/enterprise. Along the way, this nihilistic behavior is enslaving future generation.
Two years ago, I read Extreme Ownership by Jocko Link. Somewhere in the book, he stated leadership is not about what you preach. It is about what you tolerate. This is an essential truth about leadership; one that previous and newer generation of African leaders easily lose sight of. Leaders preach and condemn the world around them but tolerate consequential decisions and acts. Citizens deplore the current state of affairs and the outlook for their children but they find it intolerable to sacrifice their life to reverse the current course. What we need now are leaders that awaken in us a new mindset, a new attitude; one of Extreme Ownership. It is time to learn to always take responsibility for our existence and actions. The situation can no longer dictate our decisions. We must dictate the situation. We must be accountable to ourselves and to our children for our choices. What we do matters. Most importantly, what we do not do matters too. The choice is YOURS. I made mine since last year.
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