African Leaders Told Obasanjo That It Is Not An African Culture To Handover — Oshoma
Liborous Oshoma, a lawyer and political analyst, has talked about a significant historical moment involving former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1979.
At that time, Obasanjo was a military head of state, and he aimed to transition Nigeria to civilian rule.
Oshoma revealed that some African leaders, within the context of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), expressed reservations about the idea of handing over power, suggesting that it wasn’t in line with African traditions.
He stated that this mindset reflects a belief in a quasi-monarchical system of governance, where leaders are expected to stay in power indefinitely.
Consequently, when leaders like Obasanjo and later Goodluck Jonathan voluntarily handed over power or conceded defeat, they were celebrated because such actions were seen as rare departures from the norm in African politics.
To address the issue of African leaders’ reluctance to leave office, Oshoma suggested that raising awareness and promoting a culture of peaceful and democratic transitions of power is crucial. By acknowledging and challenging the prevailing sit-tight syndrome, African nations can work toward establishing a political environment where leaders prioritize the welfare of their citizens over personal power retention.
“In 1979 if you read Obasanjo’s book, my watch. He said in 1979 when he was preparing to handover, some leaders in Africa at the OAU level called him and said handing over is not an African thing.
That’s to tell you the mentality of the African leader, that what we operate is a monarchy system of government and so he shouldn’t set a bad precedence by handing over power. And that was why he was celebrated for merely handing over power.
And that’s why Goodluck Jonathan was celebrated for conceding defeat. Because it is alien to African leaders despite the poverty, despite the fact they are unpopular, they want to sit tight.
