New York, December 1, 2005—Africans In America, Inc., a leading human rights and think-tank organization raising awareness on social issues concerning the larger African community in the United States wish to announce our 2005 Men Of The Year Award recipients.

As usual, the winners were selected after a very tedious process. They were chosen for various significant effects they have on the socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-political development of in their country in particular, and the African continent in general.

We criticize African leaders the loudest when we think they were not performing well, and we will not hesitate to mention it when we notice significant positive change.

Here are the winners (in country’s alphabetical order)

The significance and remarkable accomplishments of this courageous, visionary and revolutionary Africa leader are well known and too many to start counting. However, let us suffice this to say that J. J. rescued Ghana from down the abyss, put a stop to unbridled rate of corruption, introduced massive development projects which paid off well, put in motion true democratic process, allowed opposition to mature and gracefully handed over to his critic and opponent. Upon leaving office, he uses his sharp criticism to make sure that the government stays awake to its responsibility and not drift back to old Ghana. In terms of quality and style, Jerry J. Rawlings has no rival in the continent of Africa. We are proud and enthusiastic to name him our 2005 Man Of The Year award recipient.

During his rule, influential Africans in Diaspora such as black Americans, black British and black West Indians continue to flock to Ghana establishing homes and businesses therein due to purposeful leadership.

The nomination of John Kufuor was withdrawn following numerous serious allegations of corruption right under his nose and all around him uncovered at the final process. John Kufuor must ensure that his government and party do not degenerate to pre-Rawlings Ghana. The selfless administrative integrity and massive developments started by Rawlings regime must be sustained and improved upon.

George Weah – Liberia

A success story extra-ordinary, George Weah’s rise from literal rags to fame and riches is phenomenal. George Weah is selected for outstanding work for peace in his war-torn country and for what he represents (hope). He is one of the very few worthy African leaders serving as United Nations peace ambassadors – a title normally reserved for corrupt African leaders upon retirement. The largely corrupt political class in Liberia should be better advised to carefully respect and appease the millions of suffering and down trodden masses this young man represents. Africa needs genuine motivator and leaders, not educated robbers and looters. George Weah is one of the very few clean Liberian political leaders untainted with the unjust and bloody civil war in that country.

Matthew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo - Nigeria

Nigeria has not gotten where it ought to be yet in terms of statehood and infrastructures developments, but for the first time in the history of the African nation, symbolic efforts no matter how vague are being made by the captain in an attempt to steer the nation’s ship in the right direction. The President has admitted the existence of huge cancerous problems of corruption in the government: the executive including the law enforcement units, legislative and the judiciary including the chief justices and he has also indicated willingness to address it. Unbridled corruption has made the government very weak and fragile.

Admitting existence of mountainous problems and colossal ineptitude is a quality rarely found among African leaders. And this rare quality weighed heavily in selecting President Obasanjo our 2005 Man Of The Year award recipient. The admission puts in motion a search for patriotic, clean (greaseless fingers), avowed crime fighter with the requisite background to succeed in 2007 and aggressively clean the Augean stables.

President Obasanjo, a quintessential insider in Nigerian public affair (a former army general and military head of state) is uniquely positioned to know how the oil-rich Nigeria is being looted and where the loots may be sitting. Hopefully, he will assist in recovery some of the loots for the new Nigeria before he leaves office in 2007.

However, complaints that the on-going war on corruption is aimed at the critics, opponents and ex-loyalists of his government need to be frontally addressed.

Lack of cohesive and viable opposition makes the presence of Obasanjo almost indispensable for the corporate existence of Nigeria nation.

We intend to continue encouraging the ‘listening’ President to intensify and expand genuine reform process to the state and local government level, and to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

By raising hope again via initiating many progressive social reform processes for the first time in the very complex African nation, and by his courageous leadership during a period of national disaster and personal loss, and most importantly for being a ‘listening’ President (he listened to our suggestion to ban foreign medical treatment for government officials and their families), Olusegun Obasanjo could strongly argue that he is trying his very best to reform ‘sharks’ infested nation.

Hopefully, that will assuage the huge criticism over the un-met expectations of his second ‘missionary journey’ to the Office of Head-of-State and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

By arresting African fleeing felon despot and human right criminal, Abdoulaye Wade sets an example that must be replicated throughout Africa and the world. African leaders must be ready to take full responsibility and held accountable for their actions and in-actions including robbery, stealing, looting, and human rights violations under their watch.

The significance of this icon around the globe is self-explanatory and well known.

The credit for maintaining stability and running the ANC-led government of South Africa from the regime of Nelson Mandela goes to Thabo Mbeki, a world-class administrator and solid statesman. As President, he makes sure that South Africa in not infected and rubbished with the cancerous corruption, a trademark common among most African leaders.

The support for Robert Mugabe is as solid as a hard rock. A source of admiration, joy and pride to black race, his philosophy of land ownership resonates like wildfire among Africans at home and in Diaspora. One of the very few remaining apostle of Pan-Africanism to the core, he maintains incorruptible, peaceful and stable nation. Zimbabwe is harassed as a ploy to intimidate and possibly dissuade other African compatriots from taking full control of their natural resources.