When the lion is seen running it might not be running away from death but running after its prey. This is the meticulous time we live today in Ghana, and in most African countries. Gone were the days when our great grandfathers were fighting the slave master in their own land thinking that a time will come when they will be totally free from all sorts of slavery. Nevertheless, today, the youth, and minority in society has been left with nothing than to fight their Politically enslave masters in their own countries before they will be given hearing on fundamental human rights. Must we cry, before our leaders know we are hurt deep inside us? Must we demonstrate before you know we are angry and not happy with your actions and decisions? Must we always wait until election time before we see good things and hear sweet promises? or are we just happy to see our own brothers and sisters being exasperated and denied of what is our basic rights. Must an innocent soul suffer from an action taken by a nonchalance leader or citizen? But as it has been known in Ghanaian societies in a jovial way “when it is coming, then is doing”.

“The gods cannot be blamed for our inactions”; it is only when there is enough hole that every animal or insect can enter. If our own leaders who have been given the platform to lead the future of millions of people are sleeping in broad daylight while as their colleagues in other countries are keeping wake by working harder to make their countries better places to live, then our greatest enemy is our mind-sets.

Probably, our leaders might be sleeping while we the citizens of the land are fanning them with our partisan politics. They are indeed enjoying their siesta, but the hard truth is, “when the royal fails to fight, the slave runs from battle”. The recent occurrences of demonstrations in various forms are not signs of good fortunes. It is a wakeup call for our leaders. Wake up leaders of Mother Africa, if you are asleep, your children are dying of hunger, poverty, accidents resulting from bad roads, insecurity, unemployment and many more. Wake up our dear leaders, this is the time to save the image of the land of Africa which is blessed and endowed with all kinds of natural resources but yet poor.

we are running away from our fortunes instead of chasing our own fortunes. Our destiny is in our own hands and our comfort, home and aspirations are in the attitudes and actions you the leaders of the land exhibit each day. The talking time is over now, the walking time was seen yesterday in many countries, this is today! We are living in the 21st Century, where the world has become a global village. We believe you can see and hear the massive infrastructural, Socio-economic policies and schemes of many nations. There is nothing wrong to copy these things from other countries if you cannot draw up your own national plans for your own people. We the youth have started jogging and now, we will force you to run the race with other countries.

Take note “it is not only election which can results to civil wars, as it happened to many countries but equally when you force the animal to the end of its life, it might bite you”. This is the time to throw away any heavy load of bad attitude that has coiled us back to our root as Africans. Let have enough exercise on our minds and power towards the direction of being good citizens and leaders for Africa. Africa needs not to be poor. The children of Africa must see change in this era.

The pupa must eat well in order to change into a butterfly, throw away the ideology of party manifesto and pick up a national development plan. A plan which can sustain us for decades and generations. Sustain Rural Enterprises and Rural Development Project to avoid high rate of Rural Urban Migration. Agriculture is a gift to Africa, just modernize it and make it attractive to the youth. Build up government farms with good monthly salaries for workers. Encourage backyard farming. Develop policies to foster social and women entrepreneurship, Fight for social justice irrespective of one’s party, religion, or ethnic affiliations. Fight corruption as hard as you will fight any other diseases. Descend governance to the people, involve the Technocrats in the system of governance irrespective of their political background. Change the structures and the content of our educational system. Let it suit the environment, having in mind the direction of the world today. Add more value and infrastructural development to Technical and Vocational education. Encourage Innovation, Creativity and Technology management from individualistic approach to institutional approach.

This might not be all, but we need to understand that, this is Africa, and this is our land nobody will make its better than the citizens who live on the land. A word to the wise is enough.

Arhin Ishmael

Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey