Winston Tubman Finally Gets His Bride!

By: ralph geeplay

George Weah Cries


Why was George Weah crying in Kakata a few days ago? Can anyone tell me please? I am curious because it is not like he just lost a close relative, or lost his eyesight and will not be able to see the sport that made him rich and famous. Weah is crying perhaps because Winston Tubman has taken over his party and would now be the standard bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).

In late June 2009, when the football legend signed a communiqué for a merger between their two parties in Accra Ghana, I wrote then that Tubman had one goal, and that was to top Weah’s party ticket as the ultimate standard bearer going into 2011. Weah loyalists rebuffed me at the time and thought I was silly for making such statement. I have been vindicated and my political forecast has now come to pass.

The Congress for Democratic Change members and officials who thought I was silly can now all rest assure that Weah would never be the eventual candidate of any party, including his own CDC during these forth coming elections because he has serious issues and baggage.

The recent CDC convention in Kakata that saw Weah weeping was deliberate. And everyone knows it. The 111 to 118 votes that put Winston Tubman on top was a way of finally pushing Weah to the side. According to analysts, it was intended to save Weah the embarrassment had he still insist at all cost that he wanted to head the ticket when it was evident that he George Weah brings nothing to the presidency other than name recognition and his football fame.

It can be recalled and it is no secret that the first alliance between Weah and Tubman failed because he (Weah) told Tubman explicitly that he wanted Tubman as his number two, and according to insiders, Tubman told him “no.” The former Liberian diplomat thought ‘that Weah was crazy.’ Weah felt slighted and dumped Tubman for another presidential candidate, Charles Walter Brumskine of the Liberty Party.

As he has done previously, Mr. Weah ran back to Accra, Ghana, a place he love to sign political agreements and consummated yet another communiqué on November 10, 2010 with the Liberian lawyer, with the duo declaring they would run “on the same ticket.” Of course, the deal came to the exclusive preserve of Mr. Brumskine.

Philip Wesseh, editor of the Monrovia-based Inquirer newspaper said while the option for a viable ticket existed between the two, he was holding his breathe, “Until the final whistle was blown.” And true to form, the deal lasted less than two months, with Mr. Weah still declaring he had the numbers on his side to win the presidency. Tubman, the seasoned diplomat did not give up hope and continued to court Weah, even as he expressed regrets in an interview with the New Dawn newspaper in Liberia.

At no cost was Tubman willing to let George Weah out of his sight. Weah was the running mate he desperately needed. He has never hidden this point. He would wait and strike when the time was right. And then it happened suddenly, when Weah dumped Brumskin yet again. Lenn Eugene Nagbe, the former Secretary General of the CDC was so incised over the decision he resigned from the CDC.

And therefore, the political journeyman, Winston Tubman whose political trail dates back to the grand old True Whig Party of the settler class, the National Democratic Party of the Master Sergeant-turned-President Samuel Doe, and the Liberian National Union, surfaced in March of this year at the headquarters of CDC in Sinkor, Monrovia declaring he was joining Weah to unseat Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her Unity Party.

Liberian Diplomat Winston Tubman

“No doubt Weah has a populist appeal,” says a political science professor at the University of Liberia. “It is just that his blind ambition for the presidency is absurd, a trait which is typical amongst Liberian politicians.” Weah, he says has no track record of leading and has no experience in government either. “The fact that people think you can instantly come from anywhere and just lead is a charade. You need to be tested first. It is successful mayors of major cities, leaders of political subdivisions like governors, or in our case superintendents and veteran senators who usually run for their country’s presidency.” Some of these obnoxious politicians, he says, “have been at least ministers, ambassadors or directors of public corporations, but Weah has no public or private experience.” Tubman, he continues, “gives him cover.”

All the key actors in the Liberian political opposition sees the former Monaco FC and AC Milan point man, George Manneh Weah as an asset, and also sees him only as the number two man whose proletarian appeal they crave. They see the football icon as one who lacks the diplomatic skills and the commanding presence of a major player in Liberian politics. “We don’t want another Samuel Doe, who will learn on the job and bring our country to disrepute,” Punctuate a nursing student at the Methodist founded Cuttington University College in Suacoco Bong County.

Winston Tubman has got the deal he wanted and is ready to make a push during this election. He is educated and savvy; but does not have the charisma and personality to be taken seriously, while Weah brings name recognition plus grassroots appeal to the race. Tubman also knows the alleys and backdoors of Liberian politics and if he wins the presidency, Weah could learn a thing or two from an old hand.

It is going to get interesting as the presidential campaign in Liberian starts soon. The progressive “evangelist,” Dew Mason thinks he has the gravitas to dislodge Ellen from the Executive Mansion and has grouped about four political parties already under the umbrella of his National Democratic Union. Charles Walter Brumskine says his Liberty party, which came third the last time around is ready to play ball picking a young senator from Bong County Franklin Siakor as his running mate.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sharpened her own sword having declared herself the “formidable candidate,” challenging the opposition boldly after they claimed she is too old. To which she replied, “We will see who will run faster.” May the best man win!

Liberia Lone Star Outclass Nigeria Super Eagles

Lone Star's player trash talking generates scuffle

The 2011 WAFU Cup competition kicked off in Abeokuta on Thursday with the Eagles beating the Lone Stars of Liberia 1-0. The match was a closely fought one and the only goal in the match was scored by in-form striker Ekigho Ehiosun in the 20th minute of the first half.

Nigeria Finds a Fresh Voice

By: ralph geeplay

Jonathan and his campaign slogan.


The recent election in Nigeria is a hopeful sign that Africa is moving forward. This is Nigeria after all, a country once known for military coups and dictatorships, and where in essence free and fair elections as in most of all Africa are still a taboo.

It is interesting to note that as the April 16 vote tallying began pouring in, it became evident, the elections confirmed the deep-seated divide that has polarized Nigerian politics for decades. As projected, Jonathan got 57% of the votes and his rival, General Buhari won by 31%. Jonathan's victory was garnered in the Christian-majority southern states, while General Buhari's support came from the Muslim north. Nonetheless, the elections were a victory for all of Africa and Nigeria.

By any yardstick, Nigeria is an interesting place to take a peek. It represents, quintessentially, the African powerhouse that has been held back for many decades by corruption. "Nigerians are all too familiar with the curse of the vast oil wealth, which largely bypasses local villagers and flows into the pockets of the urban elites, grasping politicians and multinational corporations," says Finbarr O’Reilly who watches development there.

The military dictatorships of the bygone era in Nigerian life were a menace, and it did everything to stay at the helm of power. A case in point was the 1993 elections which General Ibrahim Babangida chaired. Not only was Moshood Abiola denied the presidency in the polls seen as fair, but Abiola, a wealthy millionaire and charismatic Nigerian nationalist would later go to jail and died from the ill-treatment and frustration of having being denied the right to lead his people.

The military history of Africa’s most populous country is never complete without citing the acts of General Sani Abacha. The misrule of General Abacha was the icing on the cake. He hid behind his trademark dark shades and led with iron fists, in the process hoarding a huge portion of the country's wealth in his Swiss banks accounts. The execution of the Ogoni activist and rights campaigner, Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others on November 10, 1995 by the Abacha regime drawn international condemnation and out cry. Abacha was irked because Ken advocated corporate responsibility, environmental concerns, and shared oil revenue for his people.

A Nigerian woman casts her ballot

By the way, President Jonathan is the first president who hails from the Delta region, Nigeria’s key oil exporting port. To its credit though,as the Nigerian nation encountered those daunting challenges internally, she still was a leading regional voice and player even under the Babangida and Abacha regimes. The political turmoil, which engulfed Liberia and subsequently Sierra Leone, would not have seen an end had it not been for Nigerian leadership in the West African sub region. Under the Economic Community Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), from 1990 up to 2005, Nigerian soldiers died on the battlefields beyond their own borders in an effort to bring peace to the region.

When Liberia finally held its own successful elections in October 2005, Nigeria was credited as the catalyst that provided the resources that finally brought peace to the Mano River Basin comprising Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria's role has been pivotal in global peace keeping as well, and its 154 million people can take pride that the recent presidential elections which was hailed by the African Union, the European Union, the United States, and the Commonwealth nations as free and fair must be a celebrated milestone, as the country seek to entrench democratic traditions and transitions from one adminstration to another.

It can also be recalled that it was Nigeria’s stance on the Ivorian crisis that helped to solve that conflict recently, in sharp contrast to South Africa, a regional power in the Southern African Development Council (SADC) that have perpetuated the rule of Zimbabwe’s dictator Robert Mugabe.

However, President Goodluck Jonathan, whom the Nigerian press touted as 'the accidental president' showed leadership even before he won, and continued the tradition of his predecessors as a regional power. It is also interesting to note that President Goodluck Jonathan also provided leadership in Guinea-Bissau, a transit point reportedly for drug cartels.

It is important to note that African leaders who rule arbitrarily with no regard to any mandate from their people, are those whose misrule continually hurt the issue of governance on the continent thereby contributing to poverty and under development.

Without Nigeria's weight and voice in the sub region, it is a safe bet that there is nothing France or any other western power could have done to solve the Ivorian crisis. The recent polls there therefore are a welcomed progress, that finally, with Nigeria getting it right; it certainly can pluck its own feathers and lead, as it has shown in the past. Now, the regional power can speak loudly about the moral objectives and clarity with which it has often been vocal, and consequently this influence can find groundswell of support and a united front for all Africans to rally in a new age!

The Irony of Auditor john Morlu

By: thomas bright perkins

The controversial John Morlu

Argumentum ad –hominen is what Mr. Morlu resulted to. When a man runs out of steam, he finds diatribe as the only point of solace. In a civilized environment, when a man believes he is attacked, the best think to do is to provide a logical counter argument to defend his case.

Hurling insults at other people is just rudeness! Referring to a fellow Liberian as a dog simply because they disagree with you is just inexcusable and must not be tolerated.

When pretenders masquerade as contenders: The irony of Mr. Morlu
When Shinji Onoyasaka saw her home washed away by the unforgiving tsunami weeks ago in Fugushima, she confessed to the BBC that she contemplated on committing suicide because of her desperate state. It is highly explicable why she saw that as an alternative. She was in a horrible mood. People get so desperate to protect their properties, wealth, families, integrity, fame and fat jobs.

Like Shinji, I think desperation is the best word I can probably find to describe Mr. John Morlu’s antics. The anger as expressed by the leaked email only suggests the extent to wish he can possibly go in order to catch what has now seem to be his fat job being washed away before his eyes. Like Shinji, it is also highly understandable why Mr. Morlu has become so desperate to protect his fat job. Certainly, he is in a horrible mood too.

When the email was first read by a radio presenter quoting a local daily, I thought it was a joke. I refused to accept it as I thought it was a snag against Mr. Morlu. Well, having read the full text of Mr. Morlu’s “email”, I think it will regrettably go down as a gross betrayal of professionalism and a complete let down of confidence reposed by numerous groups like the Student and Youth Unions and other civil society institutions that have called for his re-nomination. He has morally harmed all of those groups including a congressman that joined the crusade for the extension of his contract. In any case, it is reasonable that when a man’s job is given to a boy, the boy pisses in the pool.

Mr. Morlu has shown poor leadership, ugly judgment and must be condemned by every serious minded person. His attitude shows that big change is required. Yes, we do need new breed of youthful leaders, but it should be responsible persons.

The public reaction to the email is far too serious to be assuaged by any package of response coming from a group of blindfolded following. Mr. Morlu needs to pay the price for his unethical behavior. The folks from the GAC did not do him any special favor; they exacerbated the issue further and just unleashed a can of hooked worms. At one point, they tried defending portions of the email while another instance; they said it was all trash.

Sirleaf is inaugurated president

I do not doubt by any measure what Mr. Morlu has done in the human resource strengthening of the GAC. He has done tremendously well and must be applauded. But, the issue is not about how many students are in the United States or East Africa studying as the result of Mr. Morlu’s magnanimity. Mr. Morlu has blundered and must be man enough to face his words.

Let me now piece up the pieces of Mr. Morlu’s “email”:

Far removed from the issues

Argumentum ad –hominen is what Mr. Morlu resulted to. When a man runs out of steam, he finds diatribe as the only point of solace. In a civilized environment, when a man believes he is attacked, the best think to do is to provide a logical counter argument to defend his case. Hurling insults at other people is just rudeness! Referring to a fellow Liberian as a dog simply because they disagree with you is just inexcusable and must not be tolerated.

Even in the United States where Mr. Morlu claims to get his education from, intellectual sanity is observed. Americans differ with their leaders on policies. Whatever the difference, Robert Gates will not write President Obama telling him to inform Robert Gibbs or Susan Rice to have the damn job. This is insulting to the least!

Arrogance

Hear Mr. Morlu: “Even though I informed you (Madam President) that my dear wife Angie had broken her leg before charismas and I needed to be in America to take my son to the liver clinic at John Hopkins University Medical. I fought back all quiet down”.

This is a demonstration of extreme arrogance! What does the state has to do with the broken leg of his wife? We are all aware that he can afford to send his son to the best available hospital because of the mega sum he earns. Mr. Morlu does not need to brag about his wealth. It is highly unacceptable. There are millions of Liberians whose children are dying of malaria daily all because they are penniless. Those were kids who could have been better sophisticated had their parents had the opportunities to send them to the United States too.

Hear Mr. Morlu again: “I have been never afraid of anyone, as you (Madam President) know my stamina and intellectual strength”. What stamina and intellectual strength is he speaking of? Who Mr. Morlu thinks he is? If I were to relive all of his incoherent ramblings and poorly-structured arguments, this will shut up the debate.

Unprofessionalism

Mr. Morlu says to the President: “You need to decide which side you stand on corruption as the likes of Medina Wisseh and her surrogates like the new recruit Nagbe Sloh are interested in lining pockets”. What audit has he conducted to brand Medina and Sloh as sleaze cops? What informs his position in the absence of an audit? How did he sum up his conclusions? This is sheer insinuation! Professionals do not put out garbage rather they present substantiated information.

Child’s Play

Mr. Morlu states: “I have been reading a lot of books of late. I just finished a book on 1776, the American War of Independence. I learned a few things from General George Washington for how victory can be achieved: Retreat, Change position, Fight Hardest”. What is he suggesting? Does he intend issuing a disclaimer to the email? Is this his interpretation of General Washington’s words? Anyway Mr. Morlu, please stick to your audit lessons and leave quoting people. Don’t hunt what you can not kill.

Removing the veil

Mr. Morlu states again: “We were the intellectual strength behind you in 2005, not the Nagbe Sloh’s”. Again, Mr. Morlu has exposed his black hands. Okay, so he is suggesting that he is not impartial after all. Is it that Nagbe Sloh is now taking over his post in 2005? My only disappointment is that he even had the guts to accept the job in the first place.

Mr. Morlu Rants

Sarcastically, Mr. Morlu rants: “Good day. I hope you take this email with maximum serious and not underestimate my resolve to fight back forcefully as I have done time and time again when under attacked. You all will see who has real intellectual strength and credibility domestically and internationally”. I wonder how Mr. Morlu got recruited. Did he write a paper? Look at the poor grammar! What language did he write to seek the job? Latin or Greek? How did he get his papers?

humbly agree with the president’s perspective. John has done well and has set a remarkable legacy and others can now pick up from where he has stopped. The office of the president must be at all times be respected irrespective of the difference in opinions.

I will stop here for now to allow the debate to begin as Mr. Morlu has promised. I learnt that he is truthful to his words and I am also more than sure, Mr. Morlu’s dear wife, Angie, is not going to easily forgive him for the disrespect he showed to Mr. Wisseh’s wife, Medina and by extension Madam President.

____
About the Author: Thomas Bright Perkins holds double Masters in Economic Policy Management and International Relations. He is also a PHD Candidate (Public Policy). He is Liberian and resides in the United Kingdom. He is currently visiting Liberia. You may contact Thomas on tbperkins@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or tbperkins@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ellen Retaliatory Outrage

Introduction: In this piece Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh chides president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for firing John Morlu, who as head of the auditing commission was vocal about corruption in Liberia. 

John Morlu

John S. Morlu II is no longer Auditor General of the Republic of Liberia. A president who was never a fan in the first place officially terminated the much-hated auditor general, who in the eyes of most Liberians caused the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration much headache after the president nominated him in 2007.

According to supporters of the president, Morlu was never fired. However, a statement read by President Sirleaf on the expiration of the employment contract added that the “European Union concluded an agreement with the Auditor-General to pay the salary for the first four years of the contract with the understanding that the Liberian Government will assume this responsibility thereafter.”

So after the end of the European Union’s sanctioned four years, President Sirleaf, who couldn’t hide her disdain for the outspoken auditor general who brought so much grief to her administration, and perhaps to her personally with his public indictment of her administration as being “three times more corrupt than its predecessor,” could no longer swallow the bitter pill named Morlu.

Who is this Jeffersonian John Morlu?

By: ralph geeplay

By the time this commentary is up John Morlu will deny that he wrote a despicable letter to the President of the Republic of Liberia

“The Letter,” as it is now being referred to in many circles is probably the most interesting piece of blue notes I have read these past two years. What motivated John Morlu to write that letter says a lot about what is wrong with Liberia, where tolerance and civility are vices that will continue to hold back our country.

However, if there is one lesson that Liberians have learned over the years, it is that there is a need for a civilized public discourse where arguments and disagreements exist, and where they must go hand in hand while counting the responsibilities and costs. An example was Tiawon Gongloe’s disagreement few months ago with President Sirleaf and her government, when he refused to re-join her government after he and his colleagues were dismissed by the president. It is this paradigm of courteousness that Liberia needs in the halls of its civic dialogue

Who says politics is not dirty, or that individuals are not bound to attack their opponents in the most colorful of language reserved for their anger? But the fashion in which this self-described Jeffersonian, John Morlu chose to address the president of the republic have me still scratching my head.

I will give Mr. Morlu credit for building an impeccable institution in the name of the General Auditing Commission (GAC). “He led the GAC, at a time when public financial management in the country needed a push and a brush to sweep the dirt that had gathered on the carpet for so long, as Liberia had just emerged from over a decade and half of civil strife, electing in the process a democratic government,” says a Liberian news web based editor. He continued, “Morlu, was probably the most powerful man in Liberia until the president, last week said no to re-nominating him." Sirleaf, in refusing to have him again in her government said, ‘while there must be differences in the way we practice politics and disagree,’ she intended to uphold "the integrity of the office" of the presidency by denying Morlu a second chance at the position of AG.

Public opinion has been against Morlue since his sordid letter arrived on the scene. “His fans are literate enough and are the most surprised,” says James Troll a Liberian following the scenario currently unfolding, “but Morlu,” he concedes “still has a certain political capital, but has a thin skin for being criticized.”

Everyone knows that the post of the Auditor General of Liberia (AG) was a mere facade until it was advertised in 150 countries upon President Sirleaf assuming office in 2005. Morlu won hands down with many including the EU, describing him as brilliant. He brought a can-do managerial fighting spirit to the office, and in the process made a name for himself. He was unafraid to lead and tackle the age-old problem of corruption, ineptitude, and graft that helped to destroy the country.
The former AG positioned himself as a frontline commander against graft, and at times a little overzealous when he charged that “the Sirleaf government was three times more corrupt than its predecessor” even before commissioning his very first audit.

Morlue was rude to the president. His letter was distasteful and repugnant, especially when he called the president’s associates "dogs." Even the wayward in WestPoint would know better. Even his idol, Thomas Jefferson would be ashamed. While Jefferson was well accomplished and sought to enshrine liberty in the American psyche as most of the founding fathers of the American Revolution were, persistently advocating for an absolute government built on the separation of powers, he also understood that the importance of civility as far as public discourse and policy are concern.

So what is this Jeffersonian doctrine that inspires Morlue? I am baffled because while Jefferson was a wise man, he was the most contradictory of sort as far as the equality of blacks were concerned. He owned slaves but yet penned the declaration of independence positing, "All men were created equal..." It is hard to even imagine he would have written a disrespectful letter to his superiors when he served as ambassador to France in 1789 over major policy disagreements, or to President George Washington whom he served as Secretary of State for four years; beginning the same year he was posted to Paris.

Morlu my man, let the streets do the talking; sit back and nurse the juice. That's the way it is done, brother! Yes, you have supporters, and I was one of your fans until that sordid letter...what in the hell was that gloat? I am chuckling, fighting to hold myself back here... gees! Moving forward, Morlu must handle himself with sass if he wants a political future. For the record, we must all thank John Morlu for speaking truth to power while serving in the very government of which he was a part.

Laurent Gbagbo Shines Spotlight On Africa In A crucial Election Year

By: ralph geeplay

2011 could make or break Africa

In case you have not been listening, Africans goes to the polls across the continent this year. More than a dozen African countries are expected to elect their leaders in what is expected to be an unparalleled move since the 1960s when the zeal and zest for independence saw white colonial rule ceding state power to indigenous led black leaderships at the time. And boy, has it been a disappointment?

What is interesting is that most of the countries currently under the radar as this crucial election year comes have continually rigged the polls in their favor while suppressing political dissent, ala: Uganda, Cameroon, Gambia, Egypt, etc etc! Laurent Gbagbo refusal therefore to cede state power and a united international voice against him especially coming from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) coupled with the United Nations (UN) is a paradigm in African politics that must be seen as a welcome development. But it remains to be seen if the arc will hold and be sustained as Africa fight in a new decade to turn around its fortunes as the least lagging continent with vast mineral resources and a huge potential for growth.

It is not clear if this is the last decade of the strongman on the African continent yet as the Gbagbo bashing shows, because quite frankly, many still abound around. Laurent Gbagbo must be wondering and fuming in his plush presidential palace why has he gotten the bad end of the bargain when so many leaders on the continent have done worse then he has done so far. Take Paul Kagame of Rwanda for example for who international praise and western aid is unreserved. Not only did he managed to eliminate all his political opponents, having locked all up and shot some point blank. Kagame went to the polls last year virtually unopposed, securing his second term with over 95 percent endorsement! Though to his credit he has kept the country safe and its economy on the rise as investment pours in, he is no more a dictator as Mr. Gbagbo! Else where, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni who has been in power for 25 years (Gbagbo has 10 to his credit), is bidding yet again this election year to lead that East African state. Unsurprisingly this week, he was it again arresting the editor of the Business Summit Review Magazine in Kampala for publishing a “caricature of the president that embarrasses him,” the government said, in relations to a cartoon of Mr. President standing alone and holding a knife before a cake with one candle as the country’s 48th independence approaches!

Ivory Coast's President Ouattara

Gbagbo refusal to cede power therefore, in what was a whipping he got at the polls from his opponent Alassane Ouattara will test Africa’s resolved in a crucial election year when fraud has always been a problem and norm. This virus have never received enough attention, either because leaders on the continent are patronizing each other, turning the other way, while wielding the so-called sovereignty stick of “equal nations whether small or big that must be respected and not interfered with internally,” or because Africans must die in huge numbers and live in poverty and poor health while these tired old men rule at all cost! Because come to think of it, credible polls have always been shunned and denied in Africa, as new ideas on the continent are pushed away continually, thereby, contributing to Africa’s woes as political leaderships stay ineffective and new solutions stifled. For example, “the largest population of children in Uganda and many adults cannot make it to the hospital to obtain treatment. In many cases, the drugs will not find their way to the most rural areas without additional resources for doing so,” says Vivian Glyck writing in the Huffington Post this year. Uganda alone, analyst say if commercially farmed adequately, has the potential to feed the whole of Africa! Such is the importance of governance on the continent as inept leaders cling to power while the lives of our future and children are wasted.

Since the post independence era of the 1960s wherein political freedom and economic revival and the well being of the ordinary African has always been the central themes of national governments with little to show for it, 2011 is poised to usher in a huge wave of voters going to the polls for the first time, amongst them youths and women! Take these countries: Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, and Gambia. Others are: Gabon, Guinea, and Ivory Coast (legislative elections), Liberia, Malagasy, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Africa (municipal election), Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe! In Harare, Mugabe remains a sad example of a once prosperous country run into the ground by a stinky dictator. “The naked, provocative racism that [Ian] Smith so proudly and unapologetically wore all his life unfortunately enjoys currency from the poor state of the Zimbabwe that has emerged from his Rhodesia” wrote Chido Makunike, a Zimbabwe social commentator. Ordinary Zimbabweans, According to the New York Times would prefer the racist repressive regime of Smith to Mugabe’s rule, because at least, they could afford to buy bread and put food on the table! Sadly, Gbagbo has taken a play book out of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, and Mwai Kibaki’s Kenya, itching for a power sharing government, even though he lost the election to his opponent and in the process willing to see thousands of his country men die in the streets like dogs.

How these elections are conducted in 2011, and how the voices of the continent's peoples are heard will say a thing or two about Africa and its readiness to step into the future and claimed its place amongst nations that are determined to improve the lives of its own peoples, or remain backwards and a laughing stock in the international media. The fraud and incompetence committed by African leaders since independence has all, and a lot to do with the backwardness of Africa’s current problems. Nigeria most importantly will be watched.

Gbagbo and wife, happier days

The elections in Nigeria particularly will be an important milestone for several reasons. It remains Africa’s power house in Sub Sahara Africa and probably the most important country on the continent. It has not been afraid to use it military power in the last fifteen years to intervene in trouble spots on the continent for no other reason other than regional stability and solidarity, especially West Africa. The current democratic consolidation in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau plus its peace keeping efforts around the continent and the world cannot go un- noticed! The current strong posture coming out of Abuja in the wake of the Gbagbo bluff shows the capability of a regional power not willing to dance to the mess in Abidjan, unlike South Africa that has nurtured a Mugabe regime that is killing it's its own people.

While Nigeria currently ranked third behind South Africa and Egypt economically speaking, it is expected to be the biggest economy on the continent soon analysts say. “Yet while South Africa is the larger economy, Nigeria is expected to catch up in the next few years.” Continues Razia Khan, head of African research at Standard Chartered. Khan says that, "In Nigeria, you still have 70 percent of the population living on a dollar a day, but there is a demographic impact. In the next five years, Nigeria will add another 23 million people and South Africa will add another 2.8 million,” With such potential, Nigeria’s voice and wealth and military power will be needed and put to use as the continent move to consolidate it gains and entrenched its democratic values, that is, if the political leadership in Abuja is stabilized and the federal government there is accountable to democratic transition.

Smaller countries like Liberia whose civil war contributed mayhem to regional instability must make sure the polls this year are fairer and an even playing field created for all participating candidates. Calls by a segment of the opposition that the Johnson Sirleaf administration reconstitute the country’s election commission must not be taken lightly! Liberia has set an example in its democratic governance thus far of allowing dissent where a free press, political opposition and the three branches of government now co exist and independently function smoothly, howbeit flaw, since it return to constitutional rule in 2005. This move must be hailed. Violence as such that currently prostrate its neighbor La Cote Ivoire must be studied and potential weaknesses weed out of its system to avoid violence in the aftermath of the polls.

But on the whole, it is a safe bet to say that Africa has made progress and is moving forward, but governance remains its biggest cancer, as Mo Ibrahim observed. “Africa’s average growth,’ he says “is now almost five times the Euro-zone average growth, according to the latest IMF update on World Economic Outlook. These changes, however uplifting, are not the only story" he says. "We continue to lag behind in many key areas. Although we can blame many factors for this, none is more central than the lack of high-quality governance” Africa must insists that leaders like Gbagbo relinquish state power in a timely fashion when they lost elections, but the continent with one voice too must be equally determined that leaders like Museveni respect the rule of law and that strong denunciations must equally come when they subvert the rule of law and arrest journalists and political opponents for no reason other than to show raw power.