Measuring the African Continent’s Poverty Index

A KEY NOTE ADDRESS OF THE 38TH AFRICAN YOUTH CONGRESS (AYC) CONFERENCE
TITLE: MEASURING POVERTY INDEX OF AFRICAN CONTINENT
DELIVERED BY DR. CARL-COLLINS OGUNSHOLA OSHODI
SECRETARY GENERAL, AYC.
Aug. 23, 2009

Fellow Africans,

It is only when we understand the principles, rhetoric and politics behind Poverty, that we can really say that the African continent is poor. Until that is proven beyond all reasonable doubt, I therefore, vehemently refute any analogy of the poverty concept as far as Africa is concerned. Although this may be some international propaganda from some global quarters, yet this cannot deter us and our leaders from our mission statement to once again reawaken Africa civilization, culture, economy and politics.

Although it is true that our leaders are not all good, still were there not voted for by our countrymen, men and women who still clap their hands in awe, crying wolf after being used as stooge for the bidding of these clowns. From time immemorial, Africans from their various ethnic groups have stood against the marginalization by their leaders in power; and exemplary recommendation were those glaring in the Niger-Delta troubled region of Nigeria. One way or the other, these troublesome antecedent can be averted only if there was proper planning in place. In recent day, politics and maficio governance has taken the bread of democracy, and slaughtered probity, fair-play and government of the people, by the people and for the people in the altar of shame and self pity. No wonder a write in one of the African in Diaspora forum/website I visited said African continent was poor because of so many accusation, too numerous to highlight here; because from a pathetic point of view, they are though entertaining, yet very immaterial, as we cannot forever dwell in self pity.

Truly that rhetorically, Africa is now paying the price of its civil and tribal wars of the ’60s ’70s ’80’s and the genocide of its people. Innocent people have died from the hands of brutal leaders, usurpers and marionette leaders who were helped into power by the colonial masters, the organizers of the New World Order. Great Britain and France contributed immensely Into the situation that Africa continent find itself today. Have we forgotten the ruthless reign of Mobutu, Idi Amin, Kerekou, Sergeant Doe and our own Abacha etc, and even the present day baba’s and Brother Mugabe’s ruthless and anti-people policies; have we forgotten so soon, the ruthless murder in Ode, Benue, Gbaramatu (if the count was correct), and several other negative and genocidal policies. These are people who came to power as our liberators but rather they were assassins. Many innocent and promised party leaders were not given the chance to rule. Undaunted soldiers like Sankara, Nzeogwu and Ifeajuna were assassinated or frustrated in prison while those opportunists are still walking around today untouched.

The Question then is how is poverty index determined? What are the models for these measurements? What is the per capital income level, and the standard of living quotient? If all these are ethically, economically, politically and sociologically answered, then the inference on poverty of our continent will be valid. Other than this, let’s concentrate our energies on how well we can positively harness the best potentials, Africa and Africans have got. Engaging in these immaterial, irresponsible debates of African Continent being the poorest continent is pathetic and awkwardly time wasting, because going by the books; this is just another “cheap lie”.

To measure the extent of Poverty in African continent, then the impetuous and drug induced judges (who credited themselves as Africans) must start from their very own self, Locality, city, Local Government, town, State and country. If they are through with this, continent, they can then microscopically preconceive the poverty ideologies in our neighouring countries, such as; Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and others cannot be said to be poor.

With the rate high of per capital income of the Nigeria people for instance (notwithstanding what the Unlimited Transparency International has to said – that more than 50% of Africans live below $1 a day, as invalid as this statement is, they do not conform with the antecedent of government economic and fiscal spending). Ontologically, development in Africa is determinant on the level of infrastructure and capitalization assets at the disposition of the government or political leaders, corporate CEOs, Investors and entrepreneurs. All these factors are what should be put into emphatic study before we infer that African Continent is poor.

The mystery behind the “Economic Meltdown” as strange and mysterious as it is, is something we as Africans are yet to be told the gospel truth by the Wall-Street clowns, and International Monetary Mediocre. The anomaly is what gave rise to the bombardment of the world trade centre and the Bin-Laden saga; yet African continent whose financial assets and capitalization put together also stretched to 22.72% of the cumulative asset of the world trade centre. As if this was not enough, they open defraud Nigeria with their G8 brouhaha of Billions of dollars, yet these same clown comes on board to judge which of the continent is poorest.

I read all the contributions made by Africans who are themselves Africans in the corners of international and local tabloid, and it is a pity that we are still far from the truth, we are living in deception and being told a continuous and infamous global lie. We need to re-evaluate the precision of our Continental politics from the “AU”, “ECOWAS”, “IMF”, EU, World bank and UNO’s influences on articulate governance, and how these international or continental bodies has helped the ordinary Man to reshape or shape their standard of living. In several other articles I have advised that we’ll read in-between sentence line of these jobbers and scammers, and therein we’ll find missing links and scraps of our lost glory. Africa as far as I’m concerned is the richest continent in the World; and whether greed, selfishness, hatred and whatever is not the issue. The issue is, how has African leaders genuinely articulated on bringing about proper and transparent Leadership and governance in their own countries? And how has the international community be of help in coordination and mobilization suing for African continental leadership?

Basically, the major cause of the high rate of corruption on the continent is ignorance, very few majority of the people are educated. Therefore they use the majority illiterates. Those few educated are not enough to manage the resources of the continent and they do not even want to educate the people because they want to continue enriching themselves and family while impoverishing others (greed and selfishness). But who did they learnt it from, and who are their sponsors, these international observers, and the patrons of the NWO. For Africa to get out of poverty, they must get proper education. When the people are educated, certain things that cause wars would not cause war because the people would be more reasonable, the people would know when their rights has been trampled upon and would want to defend themselves legally; the people would be more productive in all aspects, there would be more qualified doctors, engineers and many other professionals. More importantly, the people would be easier to govern. But when the reverse is the case, then War, Militancy, unrest is a surety.

Let me reiterate again that Africa is not poor. There is no continent that is blessed with both human and natural resource like Africa. But bad leaders, mismanagement, greediness, selfishness, etc, if we agree; always sends us to square one. Sometimes I weep for Nigeria. Sometime ago I asked if Mr. president has fulfilled any of his 7 points agendas; and an Environmental and Safety Consultant; Mr. Pascal Ogie, redefined it as “crying crocodile tears, when he should have put them at just

two or three agenda” Mr. Sanusi (CBN Governor) reinvigorated this same stand when he condemned the hopelessness of the actualization of the 7-point agenda. Getting to 3 years in Government yet Mr. President can not pin point one thing his administration has achieved. May be he is aspiring to contest again to continue his 7 point agenda. No water, good roads, electricity, food and education; all these has died in his hand. He studied and became a lecturer because someone sustained education, but he folded his hand and stretch his vulture net and ugly eyes and watch education dies in his hands…what a phony!!!

I maybe out of the reach of truth, but reason alone have made my argument infallible; depending on our mindset, my argument can also be fallible.

I think this is quite glaring if we must systematically, ideologically and strategically sue for Peace, Development, Civilized and stable economy in our respective countries, then like groups must call for change, and change it must be.

Yours In Africa,

Dr. Carl-Collins Ogunshola Oshodi
PhD, Conflict Management/International Politics
Msc. Military Science and Counter-Terrorism
Msc. Clinical Psychology and Environmental Profiling
MA; International Relations and World History
Bsc. Pure and Applied Psychology

Port Harcourt, Nigeria