Barack Obama's in his tour as the first African-American President to visit his roots raised the stakes when he announced a $7 billion Power Africa' initiative to assist in the provision of electricity to some sub-Sahara countries.
Without any doubt and in spite of the controversies that have trailed his visit to the continent, the first black to occupy the White House knows what the immediate needs of the people are.
Like he rightly observed too in his speech at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, with adequate supply of electricity, at least one major burden would have been lifted off the neck of governments and the people will be able to attain their full potential.
Given the challenges confronting the economies of countries on the continent which have virtually turned most of the leaders to beggars from foreign nations, adequate supply of electricity will go a long way in providing the much expected leap.
Unlike some others from the West who have turned African countries to appendages of their economy in Europe, Obama's proposition is a clear indication of the son of the soil who clearly identifies with the need of the people impoverished beyond any reasonable limit simply due to lack of appropriate infrastructure to develop their talents and to make them productive.
With adequate support which will turn the fortunes of the locals and a market big enough to sustain their activities, the Obama initiatives will remain the life wire that the continent has long been waiting for.
It is a known fact that sub-Saharan Africa has not been lucky to have visionary leaders out to serve the people and not to exploit them for their selfish desire to cling to power even when they are not making any meaningful contributions to the welfare of the people and enhancing the plight of those they claim to govern.
The initiative which promises the continent huge benefits has overshadowed the politics of his visit.
Apart from shunning Nigeria the second time in his visit to Africa, Obama also did not include his native Kenya in his itinerary this time around but of a significance is the initiative that will mostly benefit the Anglophone countries of the continent that have been neglected by their colonial masters years after exploiting their resources and having largely contributed to the underdevelopment of the continent in human and material resources.
Good as the Obama's initiative may appear, it must be carefully considered and examined to be certain that the initiative is coming from a genuine heart willing indeed to assist the countries of the continent that are in need of this infrastructure.
One major reason for this caution has to do with the recent covert campaign against the continent on gay rights for which the western nations have been making subtle efforts to force on the continent. The move was further ventilated with the comment of President Obama while on the first leg of his tour of Africa to Senegal.
He was quoted appealing for the recognition of gay rights as it obtains in the US particularly with the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in California which legalizes same intercourse marriage.
The response from the Senegalese President, Macky Sall was indeed the African position on the issue that is totally alien not only to our culture but also a threat to human existence and what else a subtle way to wipe out the human race out of existence. Apart from it being against the plan of God, what pleasure does it provide above that of heterointercourseual relationship?
Africa has taken a stand based on a rich culture that promotes the need for procreation to preserve the human race. This is not limited to Africa alone but ditto for the Asian continent where their culture also encouraged a robust human family setting. It is therefore not a surprise that while the population of the West keeps shrinking, these continents continue to grow.
It can therefore be deduced that the same intercourse campaign is also a plot to limit the potential of Africa in ruling the world in numbers. In Nigeria, the law is not a respecter of any gay, the penalty is 14 years imprisonment. Period.
National Mirror