A MILITARY DICTATOR WHO LATER BECAME A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT BANNED FROM THE UNITED STATES

Information making rounds from the US States Department indicates that the former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh who later became a democratically elected President has been banned together with his entire family from ever entering the United States, with corruption during his 22 years in power as the reason.

Yahya Jammeh came to power through a bloodless coup in 1994 overthrowing the then incumbent Dawda Jawara before transmuting into a civil regime in 1996 still led by himself. He remained in power till 2017 after surprisingly to losing to Adama Barrow in a 2016 election, after which he fled to a self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea after his vain attempt to sit in.

This position by the US is called for and a welcome development to all lovers of democracy and a corruption free world. As a former leader of a country no doubt he must have amassed wealth and interests scattered abroad including the US through both legitimate and illegitimate means, considering he was more a ruler than a leader. This would have been a futile effort by the US Authorities if the ex-president had no interest in their homeland.

Jammeh is known to have properties in the States and it would be a cheering news if all of it could be confiscated and handed over to the Gambian people now represented by a legitimate Government. This would indeed discourage to some extent would be leaders from acting adversely.

It is high time that we in this continent of Africa ‘arise’ and take our rightful place within the committee of nations, but first we must rid ourselves of anti-people leadership engendered through corruption, nepotism, bigotry, genocide and wars just to list but a few, which has bedeviled us for decades. Only time will tell what the future holds but we must arise today and fight for our future.

Arise Nigeria! Arise Africa, Arise.




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