Maame Yaa Konamah of UTV has called on President Akufo-Addo, Nigerian President Tinubu, and ECOWAS leaders to accept culpability for the woes that have plagued the West African sub-region.
Speaking on UTV on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, she stated that African leaders have to tell the youth and the military that their bad leadership and governance are to blame for the continent’s current predicament.
“Africa’s leaders have to tell the youth and even the military of Africa that, let us put it as it is, bad leadership and governance have brought us here. Because I always thought that it was enough to talk about colonialism and slavery and whatever they did to us, but after the years that we got our lives back, how have we improved our lot? What have we done so far? They took what they took, and when we got it back, what use had we made of it?” she said.
“So, leaders… Sometimes, when you admit your faults, it is enough for the angry youth and the angry army to come down. It is not the direction you are going with; just admit that you, as leaders of Africa, have failed the youth and you have failed the army, which is why sometimes they feel like they have to come in. So it is not you sending the troops there; it is you admitting that I am part of this problem, but a coup is not the way to go.“
After a coup on July 6, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed to put together a “standby” military force as part of operations to return Niger to constitutional governance. However, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has stated that the use of force is a “last resort,” despite the government’s approval for a military intervention.
On the other hand, Yaa Konamah argues that ECOWAS leaders are to blame for the continent’s current predicament because all African politicians are “power drunk,” “arrogant,” and “full of themselves” because they think they did nothing wrong and have forgotten that the people elected them.
“All the African leaders are all so power drunk, so arrogant, and full of themselves, and you think you don’t make mistakes… forgetting that it is the people who gave you the power. When you need power, you come with humility. When you get power, you stand on the people’s shoulders and teach them where the power lays, and the people will not allow that because they will tell you that we gave you the power, and that is what is happening.”
She concluded that “So ECOWAS leaders, admit that you are part of the problem we are going through, do the needful, and stop wasting our time in all honesty.”
