Self-Serving Public Leadership and Governance

Book excerpt: Leadership matters in everything. Shared humanity is at risk of paralysis if the society lacks trustable, transparent, and accountable leadership for the well-being of the society. A nation is nothing but a perishable commodity if it lacks leadership foresight or vision and continually stands on a blind spot of political, social, and economic development. Government is an asset if it has utility or values that impact citizens positively and improve their well-being or livelihood. In contrast, the government is a total liability or lacks utility or values if its actions impede unity, progress, and development or undermine citizens' well-being. Greed is the common denominator of public corruption. Moreover, corruption is a consequence of self-serving leadership and governance in African countries, demolishing hopes, aspirations, and ingenuity. Thus, public corruption in African countries is the great conspiracy against innocent and poor citizens by the politicians, elites, and religious aristocrats, causing obstacles to development. Consequently, there is a high possibility of political, economic, and social failures or marginalization of the poor when a nation's political governance is besieged by sit-tight leadership syndrome, self-serving leaders, greedy mindsets, and corrupt leaders. Here are the two critical questions: Can African countries escape paralysis, meltdowns, or extreme poverty if the government is controlled by self-serving public leaders who focus on themselves while ignoring the challenges of the larger society? Can African countries survive the mediocrity of governance and frequent devastations due to the menace of religion, tribalism, and corruption in government, public leadership, and governance?