Lack Of Integrity, Bane Of African Leaders

A Nigerian minister of the Gospel has taken a swipe at African leaders, saying most of them lack integrity and must be impeached. According to Rev Ernest Azeke of The Rock Christian Mission Inc based in Lagos, Nigeria, one major problem bedevilling Africa today was the lack of integrity on the part of its leaders and urged the people to remove such leaders from office. He said most African leaders lacked integrity because after assuming power, they failed to honour the promises they made to the people on their campaign trails, while others amassed wealth for themselves at the expense of the development of their countries. Delivering the keynote address at a symposium on �Integrity � The hallmark of successful leaders�, organised by the West Africa Nobles Forum (WANF) in Accra on Friday, Rev. Azeke said, �The problem in Africa is that we have rulers, not leaders.� He said anyone who assumed leadership position without integrity would end up in failure and disgrace. He urged African leaders to demonstrate good leadership by example, adding that any leader who did not impact his people and the environment positively lacked integrity. Culture and corruption Making a contribution to the topic, the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, the Rt Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, linked the canker of corruption in Africa to the culture and traditions of the people. He said in many African cultures and traditions, someone employed on another person�s farm might not see anything wrong with taking some of the farm produce home for consumption, although the farm owner paid him. He said many people carried such attitudes to other sectors of human endeavour, without appreciating the fact that they constituted corruption. The Rt Rev Dr Fynn, who is also the President of the WANF, said it was important to confront the issue of corruption through education and counselling programmes. Integrity and life purpose The Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Wisconsin International University College in Accra, Dr Akosua Hagan, who chaired the ceremony, said without integrity, one could not fulfil his purpose in life. She said integrity was about making choices and stressed the need for people to make the right choices in life. The Executive Director of the WANF, Rev Dr Dee Otibu Darko, said �integrity of any kind seems to be scarce and we must all be worried�.