Weekly Column: Age – Nothing but a number?
By Omordia Efe Alexandra – People usually want to take things easy as they grow older. Some retire, some take that overdue extended vacation, some decide to look after their grand kids while others decide to become closer to their maker but for a group of individuals, who have made the headlines at one stage or the other and who like Aaliyah believe that age is nothing but a number none of the above is their thing.
This group of people would rather spend the latter part of their lives making others less than content. They seem to get their kicks from such archaic and retrogressive stance. When one wants to cite an example, Hosni Mubarak would easily come to mind, for almost 30years, the Octogenarian, has been in charge in Egypt. Over the years he has made landmark achievements like helping to stabilize trouble spots in the Arab World, by helping to contain the extremists in Egypt but for crying out loud he like so many African leaders has overstayed his welcome. The riots in Egypt are a clear indication that change is sought.
What these groups of sit-tight leaders do not understand is that nobody has a monopoly of wisdom. No matter how good their intentions are time has run out and time is showing them the exit door. They should realize that the longer they stay, the stronger the possibility of derailing. People like Robert Mugabe started out with a lot of goodwill from the people they governed but after a while things got less than perfect. I salute Nelson Mandela for his great maturity and discerning abilities. He indeed left while the ovation was at its loudest. Well done Madiba! May your latter days far outshine the days of your youth.
