Daily Independent (Lagos)
Daniel Kanu, Austin Oboh, Rafiu Ajakaye and Olisemeka Obeche
11 November 2008
(Page 2 of 3)
To him, it was a thing of joy that a first black man would hold the clutches of political power of the most powerful country on earth, but added that (Obama) is not going to be partial just to give Africa special favour.
His words: "As far as I am concerned, the Obama phenomenon, one would say, is founded on hope and people will continue to live on hope that they will somehow benefit from his being elected as the 44th President of the United States, the most powerful country on earth.
"I personally do not believe that there is going to be a major shift simply because Obama is an African and, therefore, he is going to be partial to Africa. In the world today irrespective of his Africanness he is first an American and the leader of the Americans, not the leader of Africans, although by extension because of the position of his country, leader of the world."
Mbanefo said it was wrong to think that the president-elect would perform any special magic for Africa because he is black.
"For us to think that he is going to single out Africa and try to do things for Africa immediately, I think will be far fetched. But there is no reason why we cannot continue to hope that he would," he said.
"I don't think the American government will automatically shift their policy on Africa, even if they will, they may not be in a position to do too much looking at their economic situation at this point in time.
"Their national debt, their government in total deficit, as well as fighting two wars already and then the invisible war on terror, to my mind we should be realistic, to make sure that our hopes and our wishes would be matched with reality and in that way our disappointment will be containable," Mbanefo posited.
House of Representatives Committee on Media and Publicity Chairman, Eseme Eyiboh, agreed with Mbanefo. Eyiboh, meanwhile, went ahead to say reasons why Africa may not get so much from the Obama presidency - however hard the man tries to help his fatherland, one of which according to him was the kind of politics played on, His words: "First and foremost, we have to look at the election generally. From the American presidential campaign the opinion polls were very consistent from the campaign to the general election and the near needle point precision of the polls have underpinned the critical relevance of communication infrastructure in the attainment of credible, transparent and participatory election.
"The challenge to us in Africa is that if such situation presents itself in Africa, do we have the capacity to respond in that direction? Two, if you listened to the campaign from the beginning to the end, three things were the major drivers: the economy, America, and the American people. If such situation presents itself in Nigeria - does our political culture promote constructive discourse?
"Is the relationship between the electorate and the candidate robust, or does it encourage discussion premised on the economy, national consciousness, and the future of our people? Now, look at the candidates from the beginning to the end. McCain had an opportunity to play the racist card, but if he were a Nigerian - would he refrain from playing such card knowing it would favour him? That underscores our emphasis on the politics of contents of the pockets, unlike America's politics of contents of the mind. If American society did not promote opportunities, there would have been no Obama. Now, there are so many Obamas even with greater potentials in Nigeria, but our culture, or our society, does not avail the potentials the opportunity to blossom.
"Therefore, Africa and indeed Nigeria can only attract attention and development if and only when we are ready to promote our governance and politics within the purview of capacity. I expect that Nigeria indeed will need to avail itself of the lessons of American election and, indeed, Obama's emergence and from the lessons should now be able to set an agenda for the pursuit of national goals."
Asked what Obama could do for the continent, Eyiboh said: "The principle of you can't place something on nothing now comes into play here, because Obama indeed would have the capacity to do something for Africa, but is Africa ready to accept his contributions in view of the collapse of the public governance in Africa, arising from inability to differentiate between politics and governance? Whatever Obama has, he cannot assist Africa and if he does the impacts would not be felt. The fact is Africa is not prepared to take advantage of any such opportunity."
Not even on the foreign policy front can Obama tilt the balance in Africa's favour, because, as Eyiboh put it, "when you are talking about foreign policy you are talking about how to create constructive partnership for the interest of the citizens of the country you lead. Africa is yet to position itself in a way to command the respect and attention of developed countries because of the way governance and politics are conducted. Africa has constituted itself in a way that makes it a dumping ground for other countries - a place of alarming capital flight and laundering of investment benefits."
But former Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Anambra State, Njideka Anyadike, said the Obama presidency would positively touch Africa in its foreign policy.
She expressed optimism that despite the fact that he was first an American, the situation would be different as far as it concerns Africa.
"It may not be proper for him to say it, but I know he must have something because no matter how you view it, the situation then and now cannot be the same. There will be a positive impact on Africa because he is attached to Africa
"I see him as someone God would use to change the probability of action for good. Already, there is a wind of change across the world and God will use it to also impact positively on Africa. I believe the hand of God is on it and we can't but benefit from it" she said.
Anyadike said Obama's government would favour Africa with great benefit insisting that, "as far as Obama is concerned the story cannot be the same again because there is hope in the air.
"I have no iota of doubt in my mind that his government will be better. There is no way he can't do things for Africa, but we still need the spiritual and physical strength to sustain it. We still need prayers and God's continued intervention."
For Festus Iyayi, former president, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Obama's victory represents a landmark in the many struggles of the people of colour worldwide. But, like several other commentators, he does not believe Obama could help Africa materially.
His words: "What does this Obama victory mean? It must mean different things to different people depending upon the interests that are at stake. For peoples of African descent, it is a vindication of the view long held by Africans that they can hold their own and triumph over the greatest obstacles in the world; that the world began with them and it will be world without end for them. For racists around the world, the Obama victory is an affront that needs to be confronted, and perhaps aborted; at any rate, it is a development that must never again be allowed to happen. For revolutionaries around the world, the Obama victory provides an important postponement for the collapse of the American empire and of capitalism more specifically.
"For subordinated peoples around the world, especially those in Africa, especially those in Nigeria, the Obama victory not only shows that change is possible but what needs to be done for the desired change to occur. It shows that there must be in place a leadership, a visionary that is dedicated to achieving the vision. It shows that this leadership must build a movement that resonates with all the subordinated, that becomes involved with the vision of change as much as the leadership. It also shows that the leadership and the movement must have a strategy that takes account of developments as these impact upon the people. It also shows that change of a dramatic kind needs a combination of lucky developments for the strategy to deliver the desired results.
"Obama did not create his victory alone. It was created in collaboration with those who had become tired of an American empire that despised not just the rest of the world but its own people. It is a beneficiary of the resentment against the vices of capitalism that has long festered in America, a resentment harnessed in social movements, community organising and much else besides."
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