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The first task in proffering solutions to problems in leadership is to first and foremost, look within. Irrespective of the myriad of problems that any nation, organization, family or entity may be confronting per time, the solutions to those problems usually requires first, that the leaders of such entities look within, so that they can bring about a permanent solution to such problems. When I mean look within, it connotes a number of things.
First, it means to look at the available resources and see how far those resources can help towards bringing about solution. Take for example a nation suffering from a plethora of insecurity challenges. The first leadership solution here is not in trying to fight the insecurity. The starting point is examining ‘what and what’ is responsible for it. Going head-on in fighting the miscreants would be likened to cutting down a tree from its head, instead of digging around its root and simply uproot it once and for all. And this example absolutely describes many nations across the globe today who would not first, seek solutions from themselves before reaching out for external support.
Many African nations, of which Nigeria is chief; falls into this category. The various problems that is confronting Nigeria would not have so much being labeled ‘insurmountable’ if the leadership will look within and proffer solutions. Africa is blessed with beautiful people and numerous natural resources. But the poorest of countries today are in the continent of Africa. African leaders would rather run to the West for solutions to their problems, seek aides from Western countries and heap upon the nation debts upon debts that many generations yet unborn may not finish paying.
China today is the biggest lender to many African nations. Today, many of these African nations are pushing for a debt relief from China to encourage post covid-19 economic recovery. The question is: How did many African leaders find their countries in this current quagmire? The answer is not really far-fetched – they have failed to look within to solve their own challenges. They would rather borrow from World Bank and other lending institutions, rather than make do with what they have. All in the name of infrastructural development, debts are piling up for future generations.
Secondly, the leadership must have absolute trust in themselves that they can transform their nations, with or without any help from abroad. Although this sounds a bit unconventional, but it is absolutely possible. It is possible for leaders to be totally dependent on whatever they have and not seek solutions elsewhere. While many African nations are looking towards the West for possible Covid-19 vaccine, the nation of Madagascar have come up with their own home grown solution. As a matter of fact, many African nations are now looking towards Madagascar for supply of this ‘Covid-Organics
African nations like Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Congo-Brazzaville, Liberia, and Guinea-Bissau have all indicated interest in the herbal drink from Madagascar, being dubbed as the cure for the Coronavirus pandemic. Even though the ‘Covid-Organics’ drink is yet to receive the needed World Health Organization (WHO) approval, it does not negate the fact that an African nation have found an home-made solution to the global pandemic. The plant from which the organic drink was made is said to be is cultivated in Cameroon, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, all in high-altitude regions and regions with a pronounced cool period.
The lesson from this discovery is that African nations and their leaders must actually have re-think and look for home-made solutions to many of the continent’s challenges. This pandemic have shown one thing clearly; and it is the fact that everyone will bear her own cross in such global situations like this. There will be no West to run to for help. Most great nations that we see today became great by looking within and their greatness later became something the whole world could reckon with.
If African nations will become great, they must start by looking within for possible solutions to their own problems.
