The Plight Of African youths

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The just concluded Plenary Assembly and Workshop of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa is another major advance in the fight against illegal migration, which is sniffing out countless lives in the sub-region.

History has taught that Africans have long been engaged in this practice well before the emergence of illegal routes in the form of small fishing boats.

There had been, and there are still efforts done to put an end to this scourge on the African continent, and indeed by the international community.

Inspite of all these efforts, we hear and see young people drowned in sea, people die of pursuing greener pastures in other parts of the world, while leaving precious gems and abundant resources back home in Africa.

One may asks the question why the youthful population of the continent are struggling day in, day out to reach to Europe, America and other developed countries, despite the rich resources at our disposal.

Yes, we often hear African leaders saying the hard fact that nobody will come from another continent to develop Africa. Yet, the youths risk their lives in undertaking perilous journey through the “back-way”

By examining this scenario, one would conclude that there is a leadership crisis in Africa, simply because the continent is blessed with superabundant resources, yet it’s poor and underdeveloped.

This must therefore be blamed on those at the helm of affairs, who have been entrusted to take care of the available resources.

Most often these leaders would say all kinds of sweet words or promises to assume the mantle of power. But once they get there, they tend to have divine power, while the rest of the Africans continue to wallow in misery, deprivation and unfair treatment.