Just a few days ago, I was watching Sky News and could not but notice the number of advertisements by NGO’s (Non Governmental organisations ) calling for donations as aid to Africa nations, either for potable water, funding better healthcare, school feeding… just the other day, the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on his state visit to France could be heard appealing to his host to come to the aid of the African child. He said I quote “ If only the African child can be given a pint of milk or fed one sandwich a day, or if the African child can get an egg a day”. And this kind of cap in hands visits that our shameless African leaders have subjected the continent to, raises the BIG QUESTION: Should we really be needing that much AID in Africa? 

In as much as it’s commendable that there are NGOs who are sincerely trying to  help ameliorate the sufferings of  people around world Africa inclusive, the narrative and the image the videos being used to solicit for these donations is worrying. Bearing in mind that these videos are about the only information some Westerners have and believe about Africa, and some may assume that all there is about Africa is (that little child crying with catarrh in his nose, that child without a shirt on or wearing torn clothes, that sick child in the hospital who can not get treatment for an ordinarily easy to treat ailment like pneumonia etc… Or that child walking several kilometres just to get potable water ; Or of that child sitting on the floor to learn in a classroom where there are no windows and in some cases  all or part of the roof blown off.)

I bet you this is worrying, more worrying because it begs the question ;Do we really need this much or any of these aid? 

In reality, we shouldn’t have fallen to the level where the provision of basic needs for our people and children in particular is now being seen as a Charity Case.

In Nigeria for example, previous and present government cannot claim not to have enough resources to provide these basic but essential needs to its citizens. Rather the Nigerian President would prefer to go cap in hand to beg for a sandwich and an egg a day for the Nigerian school child. Shameful to say the least. The monies looted from Africa countries by these corrupt and shameless politicians can well provide more than a Sandwich and an egg a day for the African child in school, and also provide their basic human needs like clean water, decent schools , clothes on their backs and well funded hospitals to cater for their medical needs. Rather the African politician would steal the money and go and hide it abroad and later return cap in hand begging for handout’s.

The African politicians have brought nothing but shame to Africans and have reduced us to a people that should be pitied and sent AID in order to meet our basic human needs. And we wonder why they treat us as second class citizens at their airports and countries. Just like the African proverb which says “If you behave like grass the goat will eat you”.  

I strongly believe that Africa’s greatest need is to end CORRUPTION and not foreign AID.

Please leave your comments and views. Thank you.