Occasionally, some occurrences on the African continent remind us of how vulnerable we are. Or, put in the lingo of neocolonialism advocates, how tied to the apron strings of the west Africa is, over six decades after the colonialists physically left the African shores.
Such also tell us, as our late brother, Robert Nesta Marley, musically sermonized in our ears, that though there are no chains around our feet, Africa is not free. The occasions afford us opportunities of going back to the literature of decolonization, dependency theories and even looking inwards into how Africa herself has contributed largely to her own setback in the perception of the world. The most recent indicator of this is the current travails of Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina, embattled President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) whose tenure of office is being queried by America on alleged ethical infractions.
Beginning with the psychiatrist Frantz Fanon’s analysis of the dehumanizing effect of colonialism on the psyche of the African, to the 1972 locus classicus book, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Guyanese revolutionary and historian, Professor Walter Rodney, which submits that the exploitation and underdevelopment of Africa by Europe was deliberate, it is obvious that both the west and even Africans themselves competed evenly in the responsibility for her current deplorable state. Rodney had argued further that Europe economically exploited Africa but conversely developed her own land with extracted enormous natural resources of Africa. This underdevelopment was so huge, in the words of Rodney, to the extent that by the 20th century, the poor state of Africa had become manifest as a result of the over a century of manipulations and deliberate degradation. In the midst of this, however, Rodney said that the “ultimate responsibility for development (is on Africa’s) shoulders… (and that) every African has a responsibility to understand the system and work for its overthrow.” The capitalist system, that is.
Analysts of the deplorable state of Africa, in spite of her enormous resources, have however moved away from the obvious gross exploitation of Africa to how the continent contributed immensely to the facts of her current decay. The most notorious narrative in Africa today has moved from Rodney and Fanon to a conversation which states that if Europeans contributed hugely, as accepted, to the underdevelopment of Africa through colonialism and neo-colonialism, they succeeded through the evil of African leaders’ complicity. Apart from Fanon’s submission that Africa’s psyche had been so tragically warped by colonial lords to the extent that Africans do not believe in Africa nor think Africa, the most tragic calamity that befell the continent was inept and self-serving leadership.
Thus, while countries that were at same level of dependency with Africa have moved away from the Third World tag, many parts of Africa are still caught in the web of indices of underdevelopment. The most obvious of the evils that befall Africa range from the phenomena of corruption, weak institutions, distortions of law, ethnic conflicts, absence of freedom of speech, endemic poverty, naïve leaders and the blight of sit-tightism among African leaders. Added to these are terrorism and religious violence, with the incidence of coup d’etat having gladly receded from view.
Corruption, for instance, has led to gross dependence on the west for survival. Africa cannot continue to delude herself that her leaders were not the greatest culprits of the dependency of the continent on the west for survival. This African capital flight, which has necessitated illicit financial outflows, is estimated to cost the continent, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, between $50 and $148 billion every year. Among so many others, the 2014 case of Teodorin Nguema Obiang, second vice president of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea and son of Equatorial Guinea’s president, who a US court ordered the sale of his estimated $30 million worth property which included, among others, real estate, luxury cars and collections of Michael Jackson memorabilia, is a case in point. The most recent is late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, suspected to have stolen between $3 and $5billion from the country’s wealth. This is not to talk of African leaders like Mobutu Sese-Seko and the likes who pillaged their countries wantonly.
So how do all these connect with the travails of Adesina’s AfDB? Closely answering to the psychological underdevelopment of Africa thesis propounded by Fanon was the revelation made by late Nigerian Second Republic President, Shehu Shagari, in his 2001 published book, Beckoned to Serve. The hub of Fanon’s thesis is that the colonialists first dismantled the African belief in himself, even before taking physical charge of his affairs. His culture, his colour and his ways of life thus appeared to him subservient to that of the colonizers. As a manifestation of this colonial mindset, the Tribune last Saturday, brought to the fore how African leaders, in 1981, went against the statutes of the then ADB which hitherto outlawed non-African countries’ membership of the bank’s Board of Governors. Apparently suffering under the huge burden of debts and threats of funding to sustain the continued existence and survival of the bank, Africa had to open its gates to 27 non-regional members which included Argentina, United Kingdom, China, Denmark and the like, with America becoming one of the bank’s major shareholders.
If Africa’s perception of self as inferior and organizationally incapable wasn’t at the heart of invitation of America and others to the board of this African bank in 1981, it would be hard to locate a stronger reason. Never would it have crossed the minds of African leaders at the time who opposed Shagari’s decision to keep ADB within the ambit of Africa, that a day would come when a rabid iconoclast would take over the presidency of America. Today, Donald Trump has successfully deconstructed the myth of a superior thinking and superior mind associated with America. He acts like a typical African despot of the hue of Idi Amin Dada and displaying the unconscionable intellect of a village tyrant. Now, when the west points at Africa’s low examples in leadership, it will be manly enough to own up that at some point, she also paraded a garrulous Trump.
In unravelling, Trump sees AfDB as an extension of his American colonies which must be subdued, with a combination of gruff and ego. By insisting on an independent investigation of Adesina, even when it had been established that the constitution of the bank does not approve of such, Trump is in pursuit of his self-profile as a global gadfly who the whole world must do obeisance at his feet. Only a few days ago, he pulled America out of the funding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the midst of a global pandemic, at a time an African, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is its Director General. It is gladsome to see that America, through Trump’s irritant stiff-necked disposition, is the one pulling self out of global leadership.
Kudos must go to Olusegun Obasanjo for rallying African past presidents to condemn the apparent tyranny of Trump in an African concern. This should be complemented by Muhammadu Buhari. Getting his minister to register Nigeria’s support of Adesina is grossly incomplete. Buhari must muster the last of his receding governmental energy to provide leadership in this regard. He must rally current African presidents and leaders to stand up against Trump’s bullying and conquistadorial tendencies in AfDB.
The reality however is that many of the African leaders like Nigeria’s Buhari do not have the gumption nor the bravery to look into the dilating eyes of Trump. This is because they are his lackeys and he holds their livewire. Having brought their countries down on their knees through a combination of corruption, destructive and limp policies, they needed Trump holding feeding bottles of sustenance to their mouths. Added to this is the regime of decades-old assistance by America to Africa which has continuously brewed a culture of dependency, as well as fostered a paternalism by America and other western countries on Africa.
The above is why Trump and his gruff would win this war and Adesina, with his hallowed credentials and celebrated knowledge, may be thrown into the Bandama River pretty sooner than we imagined. The Bandama River is reputed to be the longest and in its commercial value, the most sought after river in Côte d’Ivoire, AfDB’s headquarters. It has major tributaries in the river called Red Bandama and the Nzi. Bandama also has the renown of a river which drains half of the surface area of the enclave where Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina holds forte.
- Dr Festus Adedayo, a popular columnist sent this in from Ibadan
