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Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin: Who are these People?

By Professor Bedford Nwabueze Umez*

Nowadays, Africans in Diaspora are seriously analyzing, discussing, blogging almost every minute of the day about Senators Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Gov. Sarah Palin.  Similarly, African journalists, writers and commentators in the continent of Africa cannot wait to dish out articles and commentaries about Obama, and the American government. To demonstrate that they are within the loop, some African leaders, especially Nigerian leaders, have joined the analyses with such burst of energy – analyzing, and discussing about the REAL Obama.  Indeed, we have become the pundits and the super-intelligent analysts of these candidates, often claiming, with impunity and audacity, to know them more than typical Americans. 

It is good that we are showing some level of involvement.  However, an in-dept examination of all these analyses and commentaries suggests that we have glossed over the main subject matter: what is REAL about these candidates.  It is therefore vital that we dig deep into what is REAL about these candidates, and draw crucial lessons from it.

WHAT IS REAL ABOUT THESE FOUR CANDIDATES?

What is REAL about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin?  Below are the answers to this question – the answers that will do us a lot of good if our leaders and elites will digest and utilize them.

1.      What is REAL about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin, we claim to "know", is that they have no bank account in Nigeria or Uganda , or any African country for that matter. They never purchased any piece of property in Ethiopia or Kenya, and probably never will.

There is a lesson to learn from this knowledge.  That Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin have no house or bank account in Nigeria or any country in Africa is not an accident.  Their patriotic decision to invest their money in their own country, USA, is rooted in what leadership is all about, namely, "my people first."  Those who clearly understand American government know that these candidates would not dream of running for any political office in America if there is any slightest doubt that they might have opened any bank account in Nigeria or Ghana, for instance.  So, they wisely invest their own money in their own country, the USA.  Their investments continue to grow American economy - creating jobs for American people, building and improving infrastructures in America. [To truly understand the extent of damage in Africa caused by the stockpiling of African money abroad by some African leaders, kindly visit this website:  http://www.NigerianLeadershipCouncil.org/Your-Excellency.pdf .]

2.      What is REAL about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin, we claim to "know", is that they never flew to Nigeria or any African country for medical treatment or checkup.  They never sent any of their close relatives to Rwanda for any medical treatment.  In addition, they never wanted their kids to be born in Nigeria, Burundi, or any other African country. All their children were born in the United States of America.  On the other hand, several African leaders and elites are constantly rushing their pregnant wives overseas to have their babies.   Is this an act of patriotism? No, it is not.

Clearly, there is a lesson to learn from this as well.  That Obama, McCain, and Biden do not travel abroad for medical treatment or send their pregnant wives to Nigeria or Congo to deliver their babies is not by chance.  They invest a lot of money in their own healthcare delivery – building super hospitals, and funding medical research.  Why? Because REAL leaders know that sound health translates into great mind and body necessary for nation-building and sustainable economic growth.

3.      What is REAL about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin, we claim to "know", is that they invest a lot of money in American education.   As such, Obama and Palin will not send their children to a Nigerian university, just as McCain and Biden never sent their children to study in Zaire.  These candidates know that education is civilization, and a nation without sound education will never see the light of civilization.  Accordingly, they invest in their Alma maters, sponsor (through scholarships and grants) underprivileged and bright students in their own universities.  They equip their schools with books, computers and other technologies necessary for serious learning and research.  They make sure that all the school buildings in America have at least doors and windows so that no American child will be exposed to harsh winds and rains while sitting in a class room.  Above all, they pay their teachers decent salaries, and pay them as and when due.  That is leadership.

Now, we ask: How many African leaders and elites pay visit to their Alma maters let alone donate money to renovate those schools that gave them education?  The shocking answer is NOT MANY!

4.      What is REAL about Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin, we claim to "know", is that they are having debates on critical issues facing America and offering solutions to those issues.  American leaders recognize that every society, no matter how affluent, does have some unique problems.  As such, leaders must make public how they will solve those problems.  Accordingly, these candidates campaign in all the 50 states that make up the United States, addressing the concerns of ordinary Americans.  In fact, they have had debates and will have more debates (presidential and vice presidential) on those critical issues facing America, e.g., unequal distribution of income, healthcare crisis, economic recession, deficit spending, war in Iraq, etc.

Should our leaders hold Senatorial, Gubernatorial, and Presidential debates on critical issues facing us – the Africans?  Yes, they should.

So, my good people, these are the REAL Obama, the REAL McCain, the REAL Biden, the REAL Palin, and the REAL American leadership in a nutshell.   As we discuss these candidates, their candidacy, and the real leadership, we must focus on what matters the most, namely, the qualities of good leadership.  Leadership is parenthood.  That means that leaders must take care of their own people FIRST just as parents take care of their own children first.  Similarly, leadership is action, not a position. When leaders cannot comprehend these simple facts about leadership, their society is guaranteed to lag behind, and ultimately fail.

APPEAL TO OUR AFRICAN LEADERS

To those who have the opportunity to serve Nigeria and several African countries, there is much work to do.  I appeal to you, as I always do, to urgently summon your colleagues and our elites to a series of national, regional, and state summits for the SOLE purpose of ending this aberration – the robbery of Africa by some of her leaders only to hide the loot in foreign countries.

Fellow Africans, it is not normal for a leader to abandon his/her people, embezzle their money, and worst of all proudly invest the looted funds in Swiss banks and other foreign banks. It is not normal for a leader to be growing greener pastures abroad when his/her people have no pasture at home. The REAL Obama, the REAL McCain, the REAL Biden, and the REAL Palin we claim to "know" understood this basic fact about leadership, and therefore never opened any bank account in Nigeria or in any African country.  Because they never opened any bank account abroad or purchased any piece of property in Africa, they are actually TEACHING American youth what leadership is all about – "my own people first."  Accordingly, those who will succeed them will toe the same line – investing American resources ONLY in America, not in Nigeria or Sudan, for instance.  That is REAL leadership!  That is real patriotism! That is civilization!

A NOTE TO THE CRITIC

There is no doubt that some of us, especially those benefiting from the current looting of the present Africa only to hide the loot abroad, may react to this commentary with some disdain. Instead of condemning the shameless, senseless, destructive behavior of some of our leaders who rob Africa only to further develop foreign countries with the loot, they may attempt to cover up the atrocity by attacking the writer. Before exhausting your energy on ad hominem attack, first examine the REAL Obama, McCain, Biden, and Palin as presented here, and compare them with some of the African leaders you know. This comparison is necessary because without comparison our minds do not always know how to proceed. To grow, we must compare our nations and our leaders with others.

So, my good people, we must call a spade a spade, and call a garden fork a garden fork. We must look evil in its eye, and condemn it.  Robbing our own people by some of our leaders only to proudly pile up the loot abroad is abnormal; it is so shameful and very painful.  It does not make any iota of sense – a point that is well understood even among animals.  As such, a rat does not labor for a squirrel; a pride of lions does not labor for a pack of hyenas.

Robbing Africa by some of her leaders only to hide the loot abroad is not leadership. It is self-destruction – a total destruction of Africa by fellow Africans. We must end this disgrace and outrage that continues to subject sub-Saharan African countries to a laughing stock of the world. Enough of this outrage! Enough of the disgrace!

PEACE!