By Vivian Onyebukwa
The Publisher of African Future Leadership Magazine, Mark Isimenmen Idiahi, has expressed dismay over the way Africa is been described as a dark continent.
He stated this at the official media launch of African Future Leadership Magazine, which took place in Lagos.
AFLM is coming on the aegis of the African Future Leadership Conferences, which the 7th edition was celebrated recently. “Over the years, the African continent has been described as a dark continent and nothing could be more wrong. We are committed to re-tell our own story, beam lights on Africa’s unequalled potentials”.
Idiahi said that the mission of the publication is to promote excellence in leadership and enhance Africa’s leadership capacity and capabilities in all spheres of human endeavour, with a clear vision to be the undisputed medium on the continent’s leadership realities and growth remains most paramount”.
Idiahi recalled his childhood dreams as creative mind where he fantasized about birthing a unique medium of expression that will reshape the perception about Africa. “Back then, I was fanatically obsessed with the workings of a media house. I read newspapers, listened to news programmes on the radio and watched the news in television with so much admiration for players in the industry. They were indeed my role models because they commanded the respect of everyone. However, I had no idea where this obsession with the media would lead me to”.
According to him, as the continent of Africa battles for global relevance and economic meltdowns in history, access to the internet in Nigeria has coincidentally improved and everyone is hungry for reliable and trusted news. “We saw a gap in the African media market, and knew deep in my heart it was the best time for us to bring this dream to fruition”.
Chairman of the Editorial Board of the publication, Cletus George, described the magazine as a platform to re-tell the African experience and the African story in the perspective of Africans. “Our story so far in published books of education and so on, have been by Europeans, and of course, they would put their own interests before your own story. They would downplay your importance and lift up their own cultural personality over yours through whatever they produce”.
He described AFLM as a timely intervention in the African space, and expressed hope that the society and media will assist to make it a contribution towards re-addressing the historical significance of the African person.
The Editor-In-Chief, Jim Rex-Lawson Moses Ekoh, while speaking, noted leadership as the only problem with Africans. “Black man has ruled America. I do not believe that Africa is the dark continent of the world. From entertainment to sports, even in science and education, we have Africans breaking records. So why would they tell me that something is wrong with the black man”
He described Africa as a modern day civilization and wondered why Africa lost that position. He however, blamed the leadership for allegedly looting and plundered Africa. “So we are here to set the agenda in redefining leadership because that is the missing link. If we can get leadership right, we can get everything right, because we are endowed with huge deposits of natural resources ranging from gold, diamond, urenium, oil and gas, etc yet the people are living in abject poverty and penury. That has to change now”.
The Editor of the magazine, Mohammed Ohis Eroje, expressed the challenges coming out with the debut edition, but described it as worthwhile. “I am proud to be part of the team. With the African Future Leadership Magazine, we are at the threshold of making great history. We are at the epical era of making a bold statement of heralding accountability in leadership