By Olawale Olaleye
Last night, some of my friends and I debated Nigeria amid the steadily progressing Africa and we could not but blow the unceasing development renewal in some parts of the continent, with Rwanda leading the pack.
The disappointment on Femi Abegunde’s countenance about the morbid state of things here in Nigeria was quite telling. Bosun Osifowora’s cerebral analysis of the crisis at hand was not encouraging either. Like me, Adeola Adewunmi did not think we could pull it off any more and if at all, not anytime soon. Seyi Johnson was in a siddon look mode. My natural corner.
We went round and round the issues but could only found solace in one man, President Paul Kagame, who is currently reassuring not just Rwanda, but the whole of Africa, that a new continent is feasible with his “Yes, we can” spirit.
Each time I see the strides by President Kagame, they reinforce my conviction that nothing is indeed esoteric about governance and that truly, Africa, not just Nigeria is hopeful of getting it right, but of course, with the right leadership.
How soon that can be brought closer home might appear an impossible question, but President Kagame has lifted the hope of a continent – a budding new Africa. And with his kind of spirit – unapologetically resolute – I say it is possible.
For Rwanda, it’s not been easy arriving at this beautiful scenery. The costliest of sacrifices had been made. They were not even stifled by how much they had to pay but kept pushing on and harder.
Today, the stories from Rwanda are encouraging. They sincerely wow the whole world. Yes, the scars won’t go away, but they are motivating. They have boosted the African pride and dispelled insinuations that something might be biologically wrong with the Black DNA.
Thank you President Kagame for making a new Africa not just what we fantasise about, but what we can see and attest to in our life time, with little or no external hands.
Rwanda is the new testimony…I’m proudly African!
