A Sudanese-British philanthropist and Communications Entrepreneur, Dr. Mohammed “Mo” Ibrahim was born at the end of the Second World War, grew up in the African Continent that is allergic to modern civilization/ digitization and also piloted by several self-centred, corrupt and avaricious leaders to the detriment of their illiterate masses!

In 2006, he established a Foundation with a focus on the critical importance of credible leadership to actualize his cherished dream of good governance amongst the present crop of African Presidents, through a very generous monetary retirement benefits, bigger than the Nobel Price!

The Foundation aims to ensure meaningful change on the African Continent by providing tools to support progress in government by defining, assessing and enhancing leadership qualities among African Presidents while in office.

Presidents are monitored by various organs of the Foundation to identify the developments achieved in poverty alleviation, education, industry, manufacturing, sustainable and equitable prosperity etc.

At the end of tenure in office, on an annual basis, one exceptional and incorruptible President is awarded by an independent committee with a Prize money of $5Million US Dollars initial payment plus $200.000 per year for life – an amount that is believed to be the world’s largest-exceeding the $1.3Million Nobel Prize! In addition, such a President is globally highlighted as a ROLE MODEL and Africa continues to benefit from the experience and expertise of his exceptional leadership as he is enabled to continue in other public roles on the Continent.

The Mo Ibrahim’s Foundation defines governance, “as the provision of the political, social and economic goods that a citizen has a right to expect from his or her State and a State has the responsibility to deliver to its citizens.”

Sadly, African Presidents have not measured up to the lofty ideals of this honourable organisation as only THREE of them have received the exorbitant prize money in EIGHT YEARS and the logical conclusion to this “APATHY” is their ALLERGY TO CHANGE!

Most African Presidents venture into office to savour the power, pomp pageantry, spoils of office and consequently amass all the corresponding wealth which accrue in the process of time, to the advantage of their families and cronies; not the masses!

Accountability in office is taboo because their hidden agenda is to perpetuate themselves and conduct government as private property which assets were never declared since the nation’s funds are usually invested to amass more wealth to the advantage of the ruling class!

Whereas, the purpose of the laudable Foundation is to challenge those in Africa and the world to debate what constitutes excellence in leadership, the standards of credibility set for the prize are high and the number of eligible candidates, very few, which makes it most unlikely for the coveted prize to be awarded annually.

Most African Presidents cannot wait or depend on philanthropy after the opulence of office where there was opportunity to appropriate billions of dollars to themselves and this attitude has rendered Mo Ibrahim’s Foundation a moribund venture from inception a shattered dream and a misplaced priority!

It is common knowledge that good testimonies were always celebrated while bad ones are kept secret. This explains why the super-rich African Presidents would rather keep mute over their assets and leave the inquisitive to keep guessing!

The following quotation was the outburst of the Nigerian President, who in 2013 during a Media Chat exhibited anger against being coerced into public assets declaration:

“The issue of assets declaration is a matter of principle. I don’t give a damn about it, if you want to criticise me from Heaven. The issue of public declaration, I think is playing to the gallery. You don’t need to publicly declare any assets. If I am somebody who wants to hide, it is what I tell you that you will believe.”

We cannot blame Mr. President from being very blunt, after all, the size of a leader’s purse, reveals the transparency portfolio of government because it is POSSIBLE FOR SOME PRESIDENTS TO BE RICHER THAN THEIR COUNTRIES!

On 9 August, 2007, as Vice President, Mr. Jonathan bowed to pressure and publicly declared a total net worth assets of N.295.304.420.00 Billion, because he had “nothing to hide”, according to his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs!

We believe that this issue might be very delicate and dicey - seven years after the last declaration- because that figure would have attracted more deposits in form of salaries, allowances, interests, commissions and might be astronomical to provoke PUBLIC PANIC AND OUTCRY ON THE EVE OF AN ELECTION YEAR!

We were also informed that before 1999, Mr. Jonathan – as a civil servant -declared his assets on seven consecutive occasions and therefore empathize with his frustration and outburst!

However, we counsel that the time is now ripe for Nigeria to re-apply to join the global anti-corruption body called OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP [OGP], which boasts of the membership of SIXTY major countries since investiture in 2011 and to which Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa are members and which is now viewed globally as a mark of a country’s high transparency standard.

Nigeria was rejected twice because of negative corruption indexes of previous years!

OGP emphasizes member governments’ commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and use new technologies to strengthen governance.

Last week Wednesday, the social media came alive with the news of the categorisation of world’s richest AFRICAN PRESIDENTS and KINGS, by the US-website of ‘Richest Lifestyle’. Nigeria’s Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and King Mswati III of Swaziland, tied in the SIXTH position with an estimated net worth of $100million US Dollars each! Nigeria’s Aso Villa wasted no time in denying the report with a threat of litigation in the absence of retraction and apologies for the embarrassment caused to Mr President.

Others on that list from the first position are:

1.Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola -$20BillionUSD;

2.Mohammed VI of Morocco, -$2.5Billion USD;

3,Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea,- $600Million USD;

4.Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, -$500Million USD;500Million;

7.Idris Deby of Chad, $50Million; and

8.Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe,- $10MillionUSD.

It is certain that there would be more denials from the government and thrones listed on that website as the days go by.

KING SOLOMON did not have to declare his net worth assets because he inherited all of them through GOD who made him the wisest and Richest King the world has ever known and would ever know, but the Bible still recorded the net worth assets of Solomon’s immense wealth as over

$174.040.602.660.00Trillion US Dollars. [1Kings.9:1-10:29].

When riches and wealth are legally acquired, there would be no need for secrecy about public declaration as was confirmed by the Holy Spirit, in the case of our highly revered King of the Old Testament Bible.

However the concern of our editorial board on these revelations has raised the following questions:

1. Were people forced or conscripted into public offices which demanded faithful allegiance and obedience to all statutory laws of government?

2. Do public officials believe in accountability to the citizens whom the constitution recognizes as the POWER BROKERS?

3. Do they realize that while in public office, they have become public figures- to be criticised, harassed or intimidated from time to time in respect of good or bad policies of government?

4. Why would they get angry or aggrieved for being subjected to the masses demands and agitations?

The following, is the Bible’s record of King Solomon’s divine favour:

At Gibeon, the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, O LORD my God, you made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for- both riches and honour- so that in your lifetime, you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your Father did, I will give you a long life.”[1Kings.3:5-14]

Can the Nigeria still boast of men like King Solomon who asked for the Spirit of Wisdom and Discernment instead of those of Riches and Vengeance? The answer is YES because CREDIBLE CITIZENS are now urging Nigeria to join OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP and entrench transparency in government as the necessary tool to turn the followership around for the necessary support and co-operation that would move the country to greater level of economic progress as we approach a new year of general elections which had been predicted by the detractors as a year of schism and break-up for our great nation.

They have predicted a “casting down”, but we prophesy a “lifting up” for Nigeria and Africa! Amen . I am, Yours sincerely,Dr. David B.A. Olufon, .08130669886, 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .]

"The Foundation aims to ensure meaningful change on the African Continent by providing tools to support progress in government by defining, assessing and enhancing leadership qualities among African Presidents while in office"


Further to the above excerpt, sadly, Africa is not fully ready.