In Nigeria, people are gearing up for protests from August 1 to August 15. These protests mirror similar agitations that are taking place across Africa. They are a way for citizens to voice their frustration and demand change. But are protests enough to bring about the great changes Africa needs, or is something bigger required? Nnamdi Chigozie Chiekwu, a successful entrepreneur and founder of The Namdex Group Africa (NGA), tackles this question in his eye-opening book, “Africa on the Precipice: A Blueprint to Steer the Continent and Diaspora to Redemption.”
Protests are like a way for people to tell their government that something is wrong and needs fixing. In countries where governments listen to their people, protests can lead to real changes. But in many African countries, including Nigeria, governments are often dysfunctional. Instead of listening, they might respond with violence or make minor changes that don’t solve the real problems.
Chiekwu explains, “Protests in dysfunctional countries often lead to people getting hurt, and even when governments make changes, they are usually small and don’t fix the bigger issues.”
Chiekwu believes that what Africa needs is not just protests but a revolution—a complete change in how things work. The current systems in place are based on old colonial ideas and extreme capitalism, which don’t benefit the people. For real, long-term change, these systems need to be torn down and replaced with new ones.
“African countries need a revolution to tear up the current system and create a new one,” Chiekwu says. “The current system, rooted in colonial and hyper-capitalist ideas, must be dismantled for Africans to achieve sustainable change.”
In his book, Chiekwu lays out a clear five-point plan to transform sub-Saharan Africa. This plan comes from his own experiences, deep thinking, and research. The first step is understanding that many of Africa’s institutions—like government, economy, and civil society—are broken. To fix this, Chiekwu proposes creating a new organization called the Africa Defense & Advancement Federation (ADAF). ADAF would handle five key areas that African governments often mismanage -money and finances, security across the continent, economic development within Africa, international relationships, and governance of member countries.
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These efforts would be guided by principles such as reducing military presence, protecting African economies, empowering Black people, practising diplomatic isolation, and federalizing sub-Saharan African countries.
Chiekwu acknowledges that protests are important. They are the first step in starting the revolution Africa needs. But to make a real difference, people must push for major changes that address the root problems.
“Nigerians should protest, but understand this is just the beginning of the revolution needed,” Chiekwu advises. “For this revolution to succeed, people must demand major changes that fix the big issues.”
Within the next year and a half, he visualises that ADAF will announce its plan to all of Africa. It will aim to unite and amplify the various protests and movements into one powerful force that can bring about real change by 2030.
As Nigerians prepare for the upcoming protests, the debate about whether protests or a revolution is needed becomes even more relevant. Nnamdi Chigozie Chiekwu’s “Africa on the Precipice” makes a strong case that while protests are crucial, they should be the starting point for a larger revolution. Only by making big, structural changes can Africa hope to solve its deep-rooted problems and achieve lasting progress.
Chiekwu’s vision calls for a united and strategic approach to revolutionize the continent, promising a future where Africa stands strong and independent on the world stage.
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