Chief Nkemayang Paul, a well known Cameroonian veteran journalist and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Star Media in Cameroon has told a Commonwealth forum in Banjul that a good number of African leaders don’t want to quit from the throne simply, because they are corrupt and transformed leadership into an everlasting heritage.
He blamed them for not been ready to hand over power to others through the ballot box saying that “nobody whose ‘buttocks’ are on the seat of power ever wishes to quit the throne, ” question he asked.
Veteran journalist, CEO Chief Nkemayang Paul was assigned by the Commonwealth Secretariat to present a paper on “Media Ethics in Election Reporting in West Africa” He made this known at the just-concluded commonwealth forum at the Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Brufut.
The Commonwealth media forum centered on “ Media and Economic Development in a Globalising World” for participants to share experiences and ideas, that will pave the way for the enhancement of the role of the media in The Gambia.
He accused them of handing over power only to their love ones as a result the continent is currently facing poverty, lack of rule of law due to bad leadership.
He adds: “ This is a common place in West Africa whereby power is handed over along family lines because leaders want their sons also to continue sitting their ‘buttocks’ on the throne,” he said.
According to him, many leaders in Africa are ‘power hungry’ and do not want to hand over power to others but rather to die on the throne.
He further stated many leaders who are in power today in Africa are buttering the constitution in broad light.
He added that every day in their lives they only think how to continue robbing their citizens saying that many of them are not holding the principles of democracy and good governance but rather dictators.
He then cited the following countries to justify his statement of been countries that handed over power along family lines- Togo, Gabon, Equatiroal Guinea, and to an extend Morocco, he said are all stand as true examples of leadership inheritance.
Dictators in West Africa are in their numbers, they do everything within their might to subdue political opponents and corrupt journalists to dance to their rulers who have transformed leadership into an everlasting heritage.
He continued, all these countries that he mention, the rule of law looks like an aberration, since all is ironed out to maintain the leader in power.
Even trigger-happy security officials are used to secure the votes for the leaders in power.
He touches “in this light, election reporting by journalists is virtually absent since everybody including journalists waits for the final well-tailored announcement through the state media by electioneering authorities.
For Ghana, Nigeria and Bennin, he said are shining examples of acceptable democratic values where reporting elections has a human face.
In many parts of Africa, he said most of the time, journalists are prevented by gun totting soldiers loyal to the regime in power from doing their job in election reporting.
In addition, the vast majority of the citizens live in land-locked enclaves stating that this situation makes it virtually impossible for journalists to give a clear picture of elections in such places.
These, he pointed out, it calls for a lot of selflessness on the part of journalists to brave the ordeal of reaching such remote areas.
He cited Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Togo and Bennin, also stating that most of the Francophone countries have too many remote areas cannot be reached in spite of the desire of media practitioners.
Hence, their inability to effectively perform their duties.
The use of computers to help in the voting process is a tall dream in some countries since most of their localities have no electricity, he said Chief Nkemayang Paul.
ECOWAS region will never allow unconstitutional ascension to power and will continue to work with the international community in entrenching democratic principles and good governance, warned Goodluck Jonathan President Nigeria.
Speaking at the inaguration of the Third Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja recently as Special Guest of Honour, condemning the recent coup attempt in Niger.
President Goodluck further reiterated the region’s stance on the consideration of stability in a region that was wracked by political crises in the 1990’s.
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