One of Africa’s greatest orators, Prof. PLO Lumumba, unleashed one of the most courageous speeches, saying Africa is the true originator of its own destiny, but subsided on the impact of other cultures seeking dominance of the world.
Addressing students and pupils of Savannah Academy International in Tamale, Northern region of Ghana, the staunch Pan-Africanist from Kenya said, although Africa is endowed with natural resources, the human being stand supreme because it is they who add value to make other resources relevant. His firm advice to leadership of Africa is that, it invests enormously in people to act or combine all other factors to the benefit of the continent.
“If you want to plan for a year, you invest in rice, if you want to plan for ten years, you invest in trees, but you invest in human beings if you are planning for entire life,” said Prof. Lumumba to the ovation of his audience.
Then he deferred to the subject of integrity and corruption, opposites which would determine the extent to which resources are applied either to the benefit or detriment of the people. He said, history has shown that those who uphold the truth are shunned, bastardized and left in solitude to fight alone. Then Lumumba said, even though truth is held as the enemy, it always proved to be the midas touch which unshackles and rescues the people. “That quest must supersede all, he opined.”