By : Ing. Yayah A. B. Conteh

The bulk of the problems inherent in African countries today is as a result of poor leadership which is characteristic of both anglophone and francophone countries alike.

Poor political leadership has generated bad governance across the length and breadth of the continent since the birth of independence in most African countries from as far afield as Egypt in the north to South Africa in the south, The Gambia in the West to Somalia in the Horn.

This poor political leadership has indeed constituted the greatest barrier to social and economic development in the continent.

The fundamental cause of all existing wrongdoings in our beloved and resource-rich continent is primarily poor leadership.

The late Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, in one of his books,” The trouble with Nigeria”, was absolutely blunt enough to point out that ….” There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character……The problem with Nigeria is the inability of the average citizen to respond to the challenges of positive leadership “.

This assertion from Achebe, in fact, is not only directly pointed to Nigeria as a country alone, but equally attributable to all other African countries that have since gained political independence.

The crux of the matter is that many people in Africa do not repose confidence in their leaders.

The reason for this is not unconnected with the fact that more often than not a good number of these leaders tend to abuse power for various reasons. It has often been asserted from several quarters that African leaders put first their personal interest above all other things else. It might be obvious that their self-interest may not harmonize with the interest of their subjects. No wonder Lynsey Chutal in ” The mystery of Africa’s disappearing Presidents “, makes a very significant point by highlighting that ” The refusal of some African leaders to be open and honest with the public shows a disregard for the people who put them in power and in turn erodes public trust in the leaders themselves “.  African leaders indeed have to learn to talk and remain accountable to their people.

Such monumental challenges as corruption, nepotism, blurred vision, dictatorship, failure to re-define goals, underdeveloped infrastructural facilities including poor leadership and governance are some of the impediments to Africa’s quest for sustainable and equitable development. Each of these challenges for which no lasting adequate solution has been found has helped to bring most African countries to their knees. The fact remains that most African countries have failed to delve into literature that deals with development problems, or consult economic or social experts as to the way forward for the total emancipation of Africa’s woes.

This brings me to the question of Africa’s constitutional term limits. This is an area that has been abused by Africa’s presidents and thus invites a recipe for chaos in most of their respective countries.

Lets take some examples of term limits in some African countries.

The constitutional term limits for a President in Ghana, for example, is a two- 4 year terms since their 1992 Constitutional Referendum. That of Guinea- Conakry is a two – 5 year terms since their 1992 Constitutional Reform. But countries like The Gambia and Uganda each have an  unlimited  5 – year terms since their last Constitutional Referendums.

This question of having an unlimited  number of years of constitutional term limits in some countries poses a threat to the democratic principles , values and credentials as observed in    these particular countries. The need therefore to have constitutional term limits for our leaders across the African continent need not be overemphasized.

One might be tempted to ask as to why constitutional term limits are important.

One school of thought poignantly pinpoints that constitutionally mandated term limits provide a mechanism for holding leaders accountable, reduces the tendency towards corruption by ensuring political turnover and gives new generations the space and opportunity to compete for political office and choose new leaders.

Some other scholars have highlighted that term limits can facilitate democratization in Africa and even beyond. Still, other school of thought hold that when term limits are introduced into presidential systems, they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly where a leader effectively becomes ‘ President for life’. In other words, it is intended to protect a democracy from becoming a de facto dictatorship.

Little wonder it has been asserted in several quarters that term limits strengthen democratic institutions over the long term and help ensure peaceful political transitions, particularly in Africa where elections are most often times marred with irregularities.

It remains abundantly clear that once a country’s president respects term limits, future presidents are very likely to follow suit. When a predecessor president bows out from the corridors of power in the face of a two-term limit, it is expected that every single president who follows thereafter will choose not to push for a third term. In other words, no president would be elected to the Office of the President more than twice.

I must be quick to point out here that most African presidents and their ministerial appointees would tend to abuse the constitutional term limits by lapsing  into massive corruption once their mandate in office is about to conclude. It can be argued that in a two-5 year terms presidency, the president and his appointees would probably do extremely well in the first  5-year term in order to create a cohesive national identity. The vision for their countries at such a time would quite be bright, taking cognizance of the fact that ‘ where there is no vision the people perish ‘; this will make them switch from their roles of being mere leaders of the people to economic modernizers. They would even embark upon policies and create systems that reward long term instead of short term ventures, frown at hero worship and laziness particularly among the youth by the provision of some semblance of employment opportunities, discourage divisiveness and cronyism in the midst of the underprivileged lot- including other positive strides that would all be geared towards national development.

But come the second and last 5 -year term, the scenario might probably change altogether. Knowing too well that it is the last term they are laying grip on the reigns of governance, the expectation is that they might probably succumb to chronic corruption, whereby they would be more often engrossed in personal struggles for instant wealth and affluence instead of embracing the spirit of teamwork and patriotism that constitutes one of the hallmarks of good and positive leadership.

Quite naturally corruption is everywhere in Africa. It is the major cause of poverty and conflicts and has grown from a mere act of accepting bribes to a complete state of mind and way of life.  And these leaders would not hesitate to use their political position to embezzle economic resources.

Whitlaw T. Mugwiji, commenting on the poor leadership at the centre of Africa’s underdevelopment, succinctly strikes at the heart of the problem by stating that ” An African Union study conducted years back estimated that corruption costs the continent roughly $150 billion a year. A massive sum of money used for the benefit of a few private individuals and their families. If this amount were to be invested in the African economy, used to build factories, schools and hospitals, I am sure it would result in economic growth. Thus, if we are serious about our development we must fight corruption without failure “.

These are undoubtedly damaging sentences to the calibre and integrity of African political leadership in its totality. But they are virtually true and correct. Thanks to the government of President Dr. Julius Maada Bio which has been fighting and continue to fight tenaciously to keep the monster of corruption at bay in our country. The results so far obtained from the Anti Corruption Commission in this direction have been quite promising.

Coming back to the question of constitutional term limits, one must not remain hesitant to point out here that a president and his ministerial appointees embarking upon a second 5 -year term as already discussed above and who happen to veer off from the constitutional mandate of the electorate only to lapse into massive corruption should not be let off the hook. A clause should be introduced into the body of the constitution {if it is not already embedded therein } that a Commission of Enquiry constituting of International Judges and acclaimed Lawyers drawn from the Diaspora would be instituted against these political leaders wherein they would be required to give an account of their stewardship to the nation as to how they steered the ship of State whilst in governance, as was recently observed in Sierra Leone.

It must be clearly spelt out in these constitutions that defaulters would be prevented from holding public offices for a stipulated number of years, and that all properties acquired with funds not commensurate with their legitimate means of incomes or other earnings will be refunded to the government, etc., etc.

Once this clause is introduced into the body of African constitutions and implemented to the letter truly devoid of lip service, I am pretty convinced that the poor leadership and the politics of continuity in Africa would be a thing of the past.

 

Ing. Yayah  A. B. Conteh is the Director of the Mechanical Services Department {MSD} of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority {SLRA}.

Tel. nos : 076640364 / 077718805.

E-mail : contehyayahab2020@gmail.com.