Dr. Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni says Sub-Saharan Africa must recuse itself

 

Sylvanus Ayeni 

By Renarda A. Williams (aka Abari Sankofa)

In a new book, retired neurosurgeon and Nigeria native Sylvanus Adetokunboh Ayeni explains why it is vital for leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa to recuse their nations from poverty, corruption and poor governance,and instill into their societies a culture of independence, good governance and love of their fellow citizens. 

Rescue Thyself: Change in Sub Saharan Africa Must Come from Within (Hamilton Books, Lanham, MD, 2017) addresses the fact that the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa urgently need visionary leaders who truly care about the ordinary citizens and not just about themselves, their families and their cronies. Ayeni stresses that the leaders should strive toward providing better education, infrastructure and healthcare systems for the people, most of whom are languishing in poverty.  He goes on to state that leaders should implement their own form of government, best suited for their traditions and culture, instead of blindly copying outside forms of governments. 

African leaders must empower the citizens of their nations and not continue the culture of dependence on the rest of the world, Ayeni further points out in the book, adding that the widespread leadership failure in Sub-Saharan Africa has devastated the region and that the situation must be reversed.

In an interview with The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter Blog, Ayeni said the most devastating blow dealt to Africa went on "between the mid-15th century and 1867, when the last slave ship left central West Africa for Havana, Cuba."

"During this period, African chiefs sold the sons and daughters of their native land to the traders from across the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing can compare to what happened to the continent during this pre-colonial period," he said.  

The second devastating blow to the continent came with the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, when the European powers divided the continent without any input from the people, Ayeni said. Political independence was won by these countries, mostly in the 1960s, after difficult struggles led by prominent African leaders, including Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and Obafemi Awolowo of Nigeria, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Leopold Senghor of Senegal and the "colossus" — Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

Unfortunately, according to Ayeni, colonialism was replaced by other problems including leaders' "inordinate zeal for power" and "a catastrophic lack of deep thought." 

"The root of the calamity in these nations is much deeper than corruption," he said. "There is total lack of concern for the welfare of the ordinary citizens, including the children and the elderly. It is something that most of our people do not want to address. It is time we address it. 

"Here's an example of how ... corruption has degraded the lives of Sub-Saharan Africans," Ayeni continued. "If you live in Little Rock, Arkansas ... you will be able to live in an area with access to the basic necessities of decent human existence, like clean water, electricity, sanitation, education and other resources. Most Sub-Saharan Africans don't have access to clean water. Many students go to school without basic materials for learning. There is [a] deep lack of love for the ordinary people by the leaders who only look out for themselves and their immediate families. The selfishness and corruption is so deep.  How can people be so selfish and demonstrate such deep lack love for fellow human beings? This is why I wrote this book."

Ayeni said he makes his strongest arguments in Chapter 5, "The Citizens As Potential Producers"; Chapter 2, "The Pitfalls of Misconceptions of the Purpose of Life";  Chapter 4, "The People: Vision Leadership Needed in the Face of Significant Divesity";  Chapter 7, "Education"; Chapter 9, "Governance and the Rule of Law"; and Chapter 10, "The Role of Donors and NGOs."

The best hope for the rescue of Sub-Saharan Africa lies with the children, mostly below the age of 10 years, Ayeni said. This is because they have not been polluted by corruption. “One of the saddest things about the failing nations of Sub-Saharan Africa is that the next generation of leaders, who are now in their 30s have only been exposed to corruption, selfishness, looting of the treasury by the leaders," he said. "That is what they have seen, experienced and learned throughout their lives. They have never experienced good governance,  never seen great schools, nor seen leaders whose top priority is taking care of society. They have only seen leaders who are totally invested in taking care of themselves."

Ayeni, who is also president and founder of the nonprofit organization Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch Inc., wants everybody of African descent to read his book "so we can put our house in order." Indeed, anybody who is concerned about the fate of Africa and who donates money for foreign aid through a church, association or organization, is encouraged to read this book.

"I am going to be very blunt," Ayeni said. "Nobody outside Africa [including African Diaporans living in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, South America, Europe, etc.] can save Africa. Only Africans can save Africans! Africans must put their house in order! There are 1 billion-plus Africans .... they have all the human and natural resources!"

Rescue Thyself: Change in Sub Saharan Africa Must Come from Within is available at amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Bamm.com, (Books A million), Roman.com, (the publisher’s website) and Walmart.com.

(NOTE: I hope brothers and sisters in the Diaspora would not get offended by Ayeni's statements. He just wants the world to know that it is time for the ''Motherland" to help itself because it has everything it needs to help itself. We — Black America and the rest of the African Diaspora — should at least be on standby to provide support, because we are brothers and sisters in the struggle. — A.S.)