“There is a vicious cycle in Africa where the struggle for political power leads to conflicts that bring up poor governance and create hardship which fuels the struggle for change of leadership, thus creating further conflicts and poor leadership.”
With these words yesterday, former President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the desperation of some African leaders to hold on to power, a situation that has brought avoidable woes to the people on the continent.
Jonathan spoke in Abuja at a one-day peace conference themed “Peaceful Elections and National Development” organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF).
He also noted that Africa’s relatively slow growth and poor performing economies are linked to the preponderance of conflicts, and that many patriotic Africans will not deny the fact that at the root of most of the conflicts ravaging the continent is the desperation that often characterises the struggle for power. Read more