People in Kogelo still do not understand that nothing comes from government, unless accompanied by hard work. Maybe all Obama needs is to emphasize this reality, they may just beleive it coming if it came from him. Their leader Raila Odinga has obviously failed them by feeding them unrealisitic lies.

The election of Barack Obama as the first black President of the United States of America (USA), has sparked up celebrations across the world. As congratulatory messages pour in from world leaders, many are still finding it difficult to understand how what seemed unimaginable few years back is now a reality. From Kenya to Nigeria and across the world, the election of Obama was greeted with different form of celebrations.

A second look at Obama’s story, one would note that he is not a descendant of the freed slaves, but an African, born just 47 years ago. Mr Obama’s father grew up in Kenya herding goats but gained a scholarship to study in Hawaii, USA where he met Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, of Kansas. While still a toddler, his parents divorced, his mother married an Indonesian, Lolo Soetoro, and the young child spent four of his pre-teen years in the capital city, Jakarta. He moved back to Hawaii to live with his grandparents and attended school, before studying political science at Columbia University in New York.

In the real sense of it, Obama is an African. If it were in sports, Obama would have had the option of playing for the Harambee Stars of Kenya to the United States national football team. So, the wild celebration in Kenya and the public holiday to celebrate his victory are understandable.

But amid the celebrations are the debates about what Africa has to gain from Obama presidency. To some people, Obama would change US immigration policy so that Africans can have easy access to the country while to others, Obama would not think twice before granting loans to poor African countries while he would readily make US military available to resolve disputes in any war torn African states.

But as theses great expectations mount, an age old Yoruba aphorism comes to mind. It goes thus: A rich man in the midst of hundreds of poor would ended up becoming poor.
With the challenges of two wars and a global financial crisis at hand as noted by Obama in his victory speech, one can only imagine how much more the new president could take for a start.

One thing we cannot overlook is that, though Obama won a landslide victory over his Republican rival, John MacCain, some people are not convinced that the US is ready for a black president. Remember that two white supremacists were arrested last month for plotting to kill Obama? Also in August, just days before Obama accepted the Democratic nomination ticket, police arrested three men with white supremacist ties for possibly threatening him.

John Karl, the officer in charge of the Los Angeles Police Department’s criminal conspiracy unit was quoted as saying that there is a probable hypothesis that in the event that Obama becomes president, there could be a galvanization of these white supremacist groups.

The point I am trying to make from this is that these white supremacist groups would only be looking for how Obama will fail. When it’s time to address the issues concerning blacks or Africans, they would most likely bring up sentiments. If he does the right thing, they would most likely give the credit to his white lineage, and should he make a mistake, they are most likely to say, ‘Didn’t we say it? A Blackman in White House is an abomination.’

There is no doubt that Obama would either be disappointed or proud of the demands that would be pouring in from Africa. If it is going to be a call for Obama to intervene on crises such as the experiences in Kenya and Zimbabwe this year, or the shameful election in Nigeria, war in Democratic Republic of Congo or genocide in Dafur, the white extremists would have the last laugh.

Imagine if Obama had had the misfortune of living in Africa, he probably would not have grown above the current level of politics in Kenya. One great revelation from the Obama success is that many Africans that had died with their dreams in this continent would have realised their full potentials if they had had the opportunity of living in America or other lands that inspre hope.

With Obama, the world has changed and Africa has no option but to change with it. Whenever African leaders look at the USA now, it should be with a sense of responsibility. They should say to themselves that since Obama is our brother, if he could successfully lead the most powerful country in the world, why can’t we make a difference in our countries?

With the abundant natural resources in Nigeria and other African countries, it is no longer tenable to look up to Europe and America for aids, but to harness the potentials. So, whenever African leaders are going to Washington, it should be to discuss how to add value to civilisation, not as beggars, otherwise Bros Barack would be overwhelmed by the shame of a continent and have no choice but to say, ‘Lagbaja, nothing dey for you.’

This is why I disagreed with the section of Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s congratulatory statement to President-elect Obama, where he said that Obama‘s emergence had proved that racial prejudices should have no place in governance.
As far as I am concerned, the racial prejudices he was referring to is not as bad as election rigging, joblessness, corruption, police brutality in Nigeria and the killing of the African dream by our leaders.

But I agreed with him on the need to do away with prejudices arising from differences in tribe, zones and regions, and that we should conduct ourselves purely as Nigerians to serve Nigeria and to serve humanity.

His words: ”When we find ourselves in position of responsibility, when we take decisions, we should take decisions as Nigerians in the best interest of the country and not try to bring about issues of where I come from or which tribe I come from. That is the old world, that is the old era, its coffin has been nailed throughout the world and we have entered a new era.”

Let us hope this will not end up as one of those empty promises!

Segun Adeleye