African political leaders and politicians got a piece of advice from their colleague at the National Defence College, (NDC) Abuja during the graduation lecture delivered by the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow.
Mr Barrow said it is no longer business as usual for African leaders, warning that if they do not serve the interests of their people, the people would abandon them at the polls.
President Barrow warned African leaders against taking the people for granted especially as the level of awareness in the social media has become unprecedented.
According to him, politicians can no longer fool the people considering the recent experiences of Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and other countries.
Barrow who honoured the invitation of the management of the NDC to deliver the Graduation Lecture as part of activities lined up for the 2018 Graduation Ceremony of Course 26, said time has come for African leaders to remain focus and pragmatic in their approaches geared towards meeting the challenges of growth and development in the continent.
Mr Barrow said with the recent experience of his country, it is clear that “if governments represent the interest of the people, the people will stand by them. If they oppress the people, the people will abandon them”.
“This is what has happened in The Gambia, and it serves as a lesson for all leaders,” Barrow told the gathering among whom were the College Commandant, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence, Mrs Saratu Batagarawa and Commandants of various military institutions in the country.
Mr Barrow who was accompanied by ministers and security aides and other top government officials spoke on the topic: “Democratic Principles and Post Conflict Peace Building, Imperatives for the West African Sub- Region”.
He drew a parallel between recent developments in his country and other countries within the continent, stating that the challenges of democratic governance are the same in several ways.
He said: “While we seek to show the commitment of government to improve the lives of citizens, effective service delivery must be demonstrated. In other words, commitment must not only be expressed verbally, but should also be translated into concrete action. The level of awareness, in this social media era is unprecedented.
“Therefore no government can fool itself into believing that it can be business as usual for ever. Politicians are often accused of making empty promises, yet they expect to be given the mandate to lead indefinitely.
“Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal and The Gambia have shown clearly that politicians cannot continue to fool the electorate.”
Mr Barrow explained that for democracy to be properly entrenched, certain fundamental principles , such as the rule of law, transparency and accountability, justice and equity, must be strictly adhere to by all institutions.
He said: “Democratic governance requires a holistic approach in transforming the institutions and organisations to professional standard for them to live up to expectations. The challenges faced in transforming any sector in a democratic country are similar to those confronted by the security sector due to the special roles security forces play in their country’s political and economic systems”.
He added that the role of the professional Security and Military Forces are also central to the development and growth of any democratic society, regretting that in the Gambia, the former President deliberately undermined the degree of professionalism of the security forces by involving security personnel in partisan political and commercial activities.
He said: “Professionalism of the security apparatus of a country is a central element of democratic governance, and forms part of any transformation strategy. Absolute control by the civil authority over the security is impossible.
“Accordingly, there should be shared responsibilities within the framework of democratic prudence. Importantly, the professional security forces need to accept their subordination in policy and resource allocation to the civil authority and refrain from engaging in divisive activities”.
Mr Barrow lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, the United Nations, The African Union and the ECOWAS for the pressures they collectively mounted on Former President Yahaya Jammeh to step down and allow the will of the people to prevail regarding his electoral victory, last year, noting that it was their intervention that did not allow the crisis in the Gambia to get out of control.
He noted that since assumption of duty, he has been preoccupied by the need to unite the people, gain their confidence and trust and transform the country towards the path of peace and prosperity given that it has been difficult for The Gambia to emerge from 22 years of dictatorship, institutionalized corruption and ruined economy.
The Commandant of the NDC, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, in his address said the College would remain grateful to The Gambia president for honouring its invitation and for hosting the Course 26 Participants during their tour to The Gambia.
Admiral Osinowo who noted the good and warm relationship between Nigeria and The Gambia, especially through the ECOWAS platform, said over 2,000 Participants have being trained by the College since its inception in 1992, adding that the Course 26 Participants are drawn from Asia, European and African countries.
