My distinguished Africans at home and in diaspora. Permit me to present this piece before you this beautiful morning as part of my own contribution to the development of Africa.

My submission goes thus:

Over fifty years of Independence of most countries in Africa, the most critical challenge confronting Africa appears to be bad leadership and docile followership.

Research has shown that a cow in Europe is better than a man in the third world(Africa) because a cow in Europe is fed with 2 dollars per day while a man in Africa lives on less than two dollars per day.

Let me say in furtherance that the world Bank benchmark is that any body who lives on less than 2 dollars per day is poor and over 70 pecent of people in Africa live on less than 2 dollars per day.

This is tragic,nasty, and brutish.

With a few to fighting this misdemeanors, African academics need to be proactive in their efforts to take the lead for a better Africa and better Nigerian which is my constituency.

This is not to say that African has never had or produced great leaders and scholars.

Indeed! we have produced the likes of Kwame Nkrumah,Nelson Mandela,Patrice lumunba ,Julius Nyerere,Jomo Kenyatta,sir Amodu Bello, Halie Selassie, Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Ajashin, Obaro Ikimi( a renowned historian) J.F Ade Ajayi, Tekena Tamuno, Taisolarin, Wole Soyinka, Achebe, late Gani Faweyinmi, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the list is endless.

These people are intellectuals in their own right.

However,the contemporary African academics have failed to complement the efforts of these intellectuals.

This malady which has not been taken too seriously by the contemporary African academics have made the society to be wallowing in acute poverty and descending down the abyss in every four years of balloting.

If truly the role of an academic is to pursue the truth and use his findings to solve societal problems.

In this regard, a contemporary African scholar has failed.

This failure has put great impediment to the progress of Africa because society will not progress where there is a great disconnect between the town and the gown.

African academics should not be too comfortable in the lecture room or laboratory theorizing.

They have to go beyond that because a beautiful research piece kept on the shelf is of no use if society could not feel the impact of such research.

Followers should be infused with information. They should be reminded of history so that history will not repeat itself.

They should know where they are coming from and the path the should follow.

Series of programs should be written by the academics to sensitize the masses.

The media should be adequately explored for meaningful revolution

Every Political scientist,historian, lawyer,Doctor, engineer,etc.,should be ready for societal transformation.

Our society is in dire need of leadership that is devoid of mediocrity,nepotism,and tribalism.

The so called dynasty need to be jettison into political oblivion.

I'm not saying that every academic should go into politics but every academic should be actively involved in the transformation outside of the classroom.

It is quite unfortunate that a typical African academic is underrated in the society. This Is as a result of the failure of the academics to solve basic societal problems.

If university of Ibadan cannot supply the neighborhood constant electricity,If university of Lagos can't produce water for her immediate community; and if streetlights,bridges on campus are being contracted out ,then how will the society beckon on them to solve their problems when needs arise.

This is a stack reality telling us in the face.

Finally,I want to use this medium to call for a very strong romance between the town and the gown so that we can have an Africa of our dream and also a better Nigeria.

Long live Africa!

Long live Nigeria!

Thank you for reading my piece.