Africa and especially Blacks are richly endowed in material as well as human resources. But for the scourge of slave trade since the 16th Century through 19th Century, the evils of colonialism and neo-colonialism and bad leadership after independence, Africa would have been shoulder to shoulder with the developed world in terms of industrialization and economic breakthrough.
Despite the scourge of bad governments, we still have Africans who have proved their mettle and walked shoulder to shoulder with world leaders or excelled in their chosen careers and recognised worldwide. These people are found in all fields of human endeavours. We can mention Nelson Mandela, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Leopold Sengor, Obafemi Awolowo, George Opong Weah, Wole Soyinka, Julius Nyerere, Chinua Achebe, Boutrous Boutrous Ghali, Olusegun Obasanjo and others too numerous to mention.
One of the greatest Africans to live is Mr. Kofi Annan who died a few days ago. Annan was born in Kumasi, Ghana but began his foray into world diplomacy as an employee of the World Health Organisation, an agency of the United Nations. He also worked with different organs of the UN and served in many countries of the world in various capacities. He rose through the ranks to become the Secretary-General of the UN making him the second African to man the position, after the Egyptian Boutrous Boutrous Ghali. Till date, he is the only black man to serve in that capacity.
As the UN Secretary-General, Annan was expected among others to coordinate but not control the activities of such organs as the WHO and UNESCO. He was also expected, with the aid of his staff, to promote preventive diplomacy, contain or stop international disputes and maintain world peace. Remarkably, the Ghanaian performed these roles creditably well in a single term in office.
As a matter of fact, his period coincided with the hostilities between the Allied Forces of the US, Britain, France and others against Iraq over the latter’s alleged illegal possession of chemical weapons and the likes. There was a threat of war against Iraq in early 1998 and the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, did not help matters by reneging on his agreement to allow international observers free access into the military facilities to check for illegal possession of chemical warfare items. The US President, Bill Clinton, and the allied forces were bent on using force to compel Hussein to allow unfettered access into the country by the UN observers.
However, Annan in his capacity as the UN Secretary- General employed his good offices to stem the tide of war. He went to Iraq in February 1998 and met with Hussein. His discussion with the Iraqi strong man yielded positive results as Hussein agreed to allow unlimited UN access to the eight sites he declared off limits. Annan therefore prevented another war in Iraq in 1998 to the happiness of humanity.
Unfortunately, after he left office, the Allied power led by George Bush Jnr. and ably supported by Tony Blair of Britain under a false pretence of possession of illegal chemical weapon declared war on Iraq in 2003. The war consumed the President of Iraq and led to a regime change and threw Iraq into confusion. The nation is still grappling with the effects of the US-led invasion till date.
African statesmen like Mandela and Desmond Tutu, who opposed the war, were ignored. According to Mr. Brian Browne, a former US Consular to Nigeria, the portrait of Mandela was removed from the White House due to his opposition to the Iraqi invasion. Since he left office, the world diplomacy has suffered terribly and humanity is the loser. Annan has shown what a black can do under normal circumstances.
The fact is that millions of potential Annans are scattered all over Africa. The problem is the focused leadership that will unearth and nurture them to greatness. We actually heard about some leaders like those of Rwanda, Mauritius, and other prosperous nations. When another Annan will be produced in Africa is a conjecture. May his soul rest in peace!
Source
The PUNCH
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