When Power Becomes a Lifetime Addiction: Africa’s Endless Tragedy of Sit-Tight Leaders

Across Africa, the story of leadership has too often turned into a tragic tale of greed, power, and oppression. The recent arrest of opposition leaders in Cameroon following protests against President Paul Biya’s long rule is a painful reminder of the continent’s enduring curse — leaders who refuse to leave the stage even when their time is clearly over.

Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for over four decades, is now in his 90s and visibly frail, yet he clings to power as though it were his birthright. His health, which no longer allows him to effectively govern, has not deterred him from tightening his grip on the country. Instead of gracefully bowing out to allow a new generation of leaders to shape the nation’s future, he remains shielded by the military and state security forces who seem more loyal to his chair than to the people they swore to protect.

This has become a pattern across the continent. From Cameroon to Uganda, Equatorial Guinea to Zimbabwe, leaders have turned democracy into a mockery. They change constitutions, manipulate elections, silence the opposition, and arrest critics — all in the name of “stability.” But what stability can exist when citizens live in fear, poverty, and hopelessness?

The continuous stay of these ageing leaders does not translate into development or progress. Instead, it breeds resentment, political uprisings, and violent crackdowns that often claim the lives of the very citizens they claim to serve. Every time the people rise against tyranny, they are met with bullets instead of ballots, with handcuffs instead of hope.

As our people wisely say, “A good dancer must know when to leave the stage.” Unfortunately, many African leaders seem deaf to this wisdom. They dance until they are dragged off the stage — either by death or by the angry hands of those they have oppressed for too long.

The case of Cameroon epitomises this tragedy. After more than forty years under the same ruler, the country is still grappling with poverty, corruption, and insecurity. One wonders what new miracle President Biya expects to perform in his advanced age that he could not achieve in the last four decades. His continued stay in office serves no national interest — it only preserves his personal power and the privileges of those who benefit from his rule.

Africa deserves better. The continent’s progress will remain stunted so long as power is treated as personal property rather than public trust. The military and state institutions must wake up from their complicity. Their duty is to the people — not to an individual who has overstayed his welcome in power.

Until African leaders learn to leave the stage when the applause ends, our nations will continue to bleed from the wounds of greed and dictatorship. True democracy demands not only elections but also humility — the humility to know when to step aside.

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