MMD President Nevers Mumba has urged African Government to prioritize education for the continent to develop.
Dr Mumba said Africa must consider introducing compulsory education for all Citizens adding that the continent must make it illegal to keep a child away from school.
He charged that it will take an educated citizenry to defend democracy and freedoms. Education brings dignity and courage to make progressive decisions.
Dr Mumba also stated the prospect of sustainable development in Africa is threatened by the neglect by people of morality to engage in politics.
He was speaking in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday when he made a key note address at the Global Business Roundtable convention.
Below is Dr Mumba’s full speech
Vision for a New Africa: Focusing on the character of a leader.
By Dr Nevers Mumba, Former Vice President of Zambia
One evening in July 1994, I walked off the stage after preaching to several thousands in Amsterdam. That night we experienced amazing miracles of many sick people being healed. Drenched in sweat I entered my Hotel room and switched on television. What I saw gripped my attention for at least an hour. I found myself crying uncontrollably.
It was the Rwanda genocide. The pictures on television showed the slaughtering of hundreds of thousands of people across all ages. The one picture which broke my heart, was a child of about 6 years sitting on top of his mother’s dead body and asking his mother to wake up. The camera zoomed in on his terrified face, and the television commentator broke it down by saying, this child will be dead before the end of day!
This singular event changed my life forever. It dawned on me that such incidences in Africa are considered normal political consequences. It became clear to me that unless Africa resolves the issue of the quality of political leadership such happenings will continue to delay the development we all yearn for.
My belief is that, “The equitable delivery of goods and services to any people depends on the morality and integrity of its leaders.” The bible explains it in a clearer way, “when the righteous rule, people rejoice. But when the unrighteousness rule, people mourn.”
It was at this point that I responded to the call to politics, with a view of introducing morality and integrity in politics.
The prospect of sustainable development in Africa is threatened by the neglect by people of morality to engage in politics. Edmund Burke said, “Evil only thrives when good people do nothing.”
This vacuum has been filled by ungodly and sometimes heartless dictators. As African nations we must start to insist on the character and values of those who seek high office. This is not an option but an immediate need if we shall start seeing sustainable peace and security on the continent.
The next demand we must place on ourselves is to insist on establishing and protecting institutions that will act as watchdogs against unruly political leaders. There is a school of thought that believes that what Africa needs are not good leaders but strong institutions.
My view is that we need both. On a balance of scale, I would still say the search for moral leaders is even more urgent than that of institutions.
Our goal should be to strengthen the freedoms of all citizens. This freedom will be anchored on a society which is just and observes the rule of law. Freedom breeds innovation and heightened productivity. This freedom shall protect individual liberties and private property ownership.
In order to achieve this, we must consider introducing compulsory education for all Citizens. We must make it illegal to keep a child away from school. It will take an educated citizenry to defend democracy and Freedoms. Education brings dignity and courage to make progressive decisions.
For the many youth who have been thrown out of the education ring and now roam the streets, we need to provide opportunities for them to go back to school and introduce skills training programs for that sector of society. This program could be spear headed by the private sector.
Private Companies could be encouraged through tax breaks to set up skills training schools in line with their core business to train the youth in skills like, carpentry, plumbing, bricklaying, painting, electrical/electronics etc. for uneducated senior citizens, opportunities should be created for them to improve themselves by making education in various fields accessible to them.
Our vision should be to attain a 98% literacy rate, across the continent. An educated man cannot be bullied to sell his birthright for a morsel of bread.
Nelson Mandela grew up in a rural setting in Qunu, but because of education and training as a lawyer, he refused to submit to the inhuman apartheid system of government. Education is the first step out of poverty and oppression by the powerful.
In addition to compulsory education, we must insist on morality and integrity to be necessary partners in development. Churches and religious institutions should be encouraged to set up educational facilities where Christian values are taught.
Public schools, should introduce religious and moral lesson classes which are meant to produce a new generation of leaders of morality and integrity.
This is because of our firm belief that as important as education is, if it lacks personal morality and godly integrity, education can be abused to advance heinous evils in society. An educated immoral criminal is more dangerous than an illiterate criminal.
So, while education is the first step out of poverty, morality and integrity are the engines which make education worthwhile.
It is precisely for this reason that the Church and other morally upright people are served with a guilty verdict for shying away from politics.
Development in Africa will remain a far-fetched dream until we start to take interest in the moral character of our leaders, and the Church remains one of the sources of such leadership.
Africa may never change until and unless we deliberately encourage, sponsor men and women of faith to contest and win elections across the continent. Then shall we confidently say, Africa shall be saved.
Well done Dr Mumba.
Very well spoken sir.
This is powerful stuff from the Pastor.
IS the reason why Sata & rest concerned an emergency meeting to mess up MMD before Nevers Mumba capture attention of Zambian?
A good and well balanced speech.
keep fighting for the good of God’s creation whether you will be hounded out of MMD or not
Classy option for a president!
some free journalism lessons: you must answer the 5 W’s and H as quickly as possible this is because news consumers do not usually have the time for reading a whole length of text. You should therefore tell us the occasion on which Mumba is speaking when and why he is speaking in your first paragraph. If you delay I will abandon your story and read it somewhere else. Thanks
who cares? Your preferences only apply to you. I read the whole article! did not find any issues in the format. and from the looks of it YOU also read the whole article. nonsense!!
Yellow,the choice is yours,don’t continue reading the article, go read something else of your kind.Nobody is forcing you.
Yes, Yellow one, speak for yourself. You don’t have the ability to comprehend the contents of the speech, skimming through education all your life. What a waste of human space!
Yellow Journalist is obviously a journalist. What he is expounding is what is called the “Inverted pyramid style”. For most of you, the uninitiated, these are the rules of story writing in journalism. All succesful news media follow the rules
@Sir Nyambe Destroyer and Webman I clearly wasn’t speaking to
nicompoomps like you but to those practicing the profession. so I
wasn’t flaunting my preferences but explaining tried and tested
methods of news story telling. so if you don’t care vamoose! and
leave the comments to the professionals like the bloke above who
knows what’s news media is about.
comments like these above show just how Zambians have got used to half baked products. They will accept anything because they don’t know quality. If you don’t care how badly written a story is how will you care if you have an unfit for the job president?
a prophet is not recognized in his own country. this is a truism. just think about it: ask the south africans what they think about Nevers’s speech and compare with the blogs you will see from zambians on this site. last minute students, this is a good subject for a thesis
Because Zambians know Mumba better than the others?
Ati Prophet! What prophet? just shut up if you have nothing to say.
Good message, questionable messenger. In other words, long on rhetoric but short on planning and executioner.
Hahaha, iwe chikamba Cactus, why is the messenger questionable? Twebeko boi maybe we will know something about this dude, I kinda like him though I think HH is the best candidate now.
get my point?
Cactus if you believe the message good take it and forget about the messager. You are the chaps who kill owls in the belief that they bring bad messages. Do not kill the messenger. Take the message if it is good.
Iwe Wawa how you tell the message is a very crucial part of delivering it. Otherwise the recipient might not get the message
We can do what he said not what he does.
Correct
Dr Nevers Mumba holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Regent University in Virginia Beach. Check mmdzambia dot org about mmd current president.
Of what significance is all this.
Mumba was at Hillcrest Secondary School, but failed to get into UNZA. He was known for his rhetoric even then. A big talker and nothing more. Its a wonder some people continue to be ensnared by his slay tongue, but then, its usually the uninitiated.
just a shallow oration in which Mumba tries to justify the immoral participation of him, a leader of the flock on the political scene. what africa needs to develop is leaders who go into politics for the right reasons. what development can you have when a pastor forms a party and abandons it immorally? dull speach indeed even a 1st year student can do better
Nevers must make a choice. Is he a politician or a pastor?
The church and the state are two different entities, and history has shown us that mixing up the two leads to disaster. If he cannot separate these things in his own head, he is not Presidential material.
Ben, you have cockeyed knowledge on what morality refers to. Morality has nothing to do with religion. Morality is a code of conduct a person or community has adopted to guide their behaviour. Simply put, it a set of agreed upon rules for what is “right” and “wrong” in a community.
Therefore, morality is not only practiced under religion. There are non-religious societies that practice “good” behaviour for example, non-Christians, non-Muslims, non-Hindus, and others but believe that killing or stealing or womanising is wrong because ethics in their communities do not condone these practices.
Ben, you do not need to be religious to practice moral codes or what is “appropriate” or avoid what is not “appropriate” activity. Morality is better understood as an assimilation of beliefs…
of beliefs about the essentials to lead a “good” life; it has nothing to do with religion!
Unfortunately, Ben, you are confusing morality with religious or fanatic perceptions. Morality is based on value systems that have been tried and tested, and found “good” and this has nothing to with religion but the conscience of an individual and society.
Nevers is the man that said that road accident deaths are a manifestation of Gods punishment for having voted for PF!
This is stone age superstition!
Definitely, he will be as bad as SATA if he ever gets into State house!
I will read the story later. Africans have already learnt enough over the decades but it seems they have not yet reached the level of white people in terms of reasoning. Even animals in the wild learn how to hunt and avoid danger but thy can not think like humans.
@Spartan, clearly you have an inferiority complex. What has the colour of the skin got to do with the capacity to reason? Do something to overcome your inferiority complex before you contaminate your innocent children and their children with that self-limiting belief of yours.
@9. Spartan, Its either:-
1. You have an inferiority complex due to your up-bringing and you see the World only thru that one track lense, in which case you are damaged goods and need to do something before you contaminate your children, and grand children’s innocent minds, or…
2. You are a small minded silly racist white person posing as an African on this blog, in which case as in 1.above, you are again damaged goods and need to do something before you contaminate your children, and grand children’s innocent minds. ..
Cactus. Today you are crying of racism when everyday you call your country men as monkeys. Hypocrite!
@Spartan, your feeble fabricated counter-claim speaks volumes about you. Nothing but a small liar who is trying to act grown-up. Maybe I should put a tracer on you and locate your computer IP address.. Here is some free advice and you will do well to take heed: – The colour of a person’s skin has absolutely nothing to do with capacity to reason use rational thinking.
Cactus. I can even assist you with my home address if you can also reveal yourself. I am not a coward like you who are daily committing criminal offences on the internet while hiding behind the computer.
Good, that is my president
Machende speaking.
The chap is good and he listens. But dirty people fear him. Even Mwanawasa started to be unease with him around. He was becoming a threat. This was obvious. But whatever people say, Nevers will one day rule Zambia if that is God’s will.
@Wawa, you have truly fallen as your name implies. Your insinuation that President Levy Mwanawasa was a ‘dirty’ person and feared Nevers Mumba thats why he fired him is complete rubbish and very very misleading. If there is any traces of Christianity in you, the you should know that the 9th commandment tells you not bear false witness against another person. Nevers was fired because of insubordination. Period. Do your research, and while you are at it, read up on why Mwanawasa was nicknamed ‘ichibumba’ (The wall), and why he resigned as Vice President.
Kwena ukimukali. Bushe ba Hh kuti balanda ifye. U are in ur own class and that’s y u are the next president
president sata has sneaked out of the country at midnight. you start wondering how this president perceives the position he is holding if he is going to be doing disappearing acts all the time. luck of education is a serious draw back
Ba Lovely,that’s the problem.Zambia does not need a politician,but a Leader.Politicians are the ones messing up this country.Remember Sata used to boast as the experienced politician.Seee where his political experience has done to Zambia.Mealie meal is now at more than K80 from K36,the rate of Kwacha to a $ is now above K6,no freedom of assembly anymore,the list of bad things brought by the so-called politically experienced man of action.A good Leader is able to assemble a team of capable men and women to run the affairs of the country.Development of a nation is team work and not hero worshing of one man with a bit of money and the so-called economic manager.Team work is necessary bwana.
Good public stunt by Pastor Nevers Mumba.
The speech was more of a sermon than a political speech.
Calls for him to return to the pulpit will become even louder.
Politics are not his game.
I like Nevers. Thats a wonderful speech. Keep it up.
God bless Zambia.
this is where you belong sir..get back to pulpit././!!
@9. Spartan, Its either:-
1. You have an inferiority complex due to your up-bringing and you see the World only thru that one track lense, in which case you are damaged goods and need to do something before you contaminate your children, and grand children’s innocent minds, or…
2. You are a small minded silly racist white person posing as an African on this blog, in which case as in 1.above, you are again damaged goods and need to do something before you contaminate your children, and grand children’s innocent minds.
Matipa what are those unfounded claims you’re bringing up? the nation would have been informed dont spread your hatred for Sata through spiteful utterances from gossipers. how does the entire president sneak out of the country? take your upnd lies to somwhere else. ever since he came into power, HE MCS has faced insults, lies, malice calumny and all sorts of abuses from upnd followers. enough is enough
What bothers me is no one tried to save that motherless kid from certain death. Just like generally western media has no problem showing dead bodies if they are of a certain persuasion and we sit back and take it. Looking at UK images just after Second World War makes one understand the sight of skeletal figures queuing up for food and handouts is something they do not want to return to. Are we desensitised from images of abject poverty and degradation and therefore incapable of developing a national psyche that pledges to change things through sacrifice or do we all look at plot 1 as means to a different end. Let a younger generation walk forward, supported and see if education has taught us anything.
“Education is the first step out of poverty and oppression by the powerful.”
In Zambia the educated are still oppressed, scorned, bullied, intimidated and insulted day in day out by Sata. Not too long ago one educated minister was told off on TV, with his kids and wife listening in, he did nothing in retaliation, he swallowed the insult whole. Talk about cowardice! No job on earth would induce me to keep quiet when my dignity is violated in such a manner. What makes this so sad and kind of hopeless is that the so-called educated community are forever so silent whenever they are attacked and kicked around.
If the majority were educated, they would have opted for better and indeed would continue to demand for better and NOT put up with riffraff party that is PF and it’s blind leader: at the moment it’s the blind leading the blind!!!!
Nevers Mumba, Michael C. Sata; Two sides of the SAME COIN.
Africa has spent most.of its resources on meetings.The best example is zambia.How many constitution amendment assemblies have we had as a country? yapping seems 2 b an adopted art in africa but when it comes 2 finding solutions none comes 2 the party.
Its not far frm the truth 2 say that africa is facing a leadership crisis.
Editor – are we all supposed to know who Chisano is in the picture? Surely your caption could have been better put: Mumba seated xxx from left etc…
@Sir Nyambe Destroyer and Webman I clearly wasn’t speaking to nicompoomps like you but to those practicing the profession. so I wasn’t flaunting my preferences but explaining tried and tested methods of news story telling. so if you don’t care vamoose! and leave the comments to the professionals like the bloke above who knows what’s news media is about.
Mixing politics and religion is bad for democracy! Mumba has no idea of how politics works and the dangers which arises when people are getting shoved with religious BS on a daily basis. Sectarian violence destroys nations, people like Mumba have no idea and they should never be allowed to lead the nation! More people have died in history because of religion. Mumba and his wife used to run a school in Nkana East, Kitwe, if he cared so much about education as a pastor, he should have been offering free education and not charging those exorbitant tuitions fees which lead to the collapse of the school!
If Jesus was to come to earth today, he would start by whipping Mumba first, followed by Mukando. These pastors are selling the gospel for profit, making themselves rich while their congregation go hungry. Mumba is all mouth and no action.
Great man of Africa,
Thanks Dr Mumba for these great words.
But people are always afraid of the truth, morality and uprightness. So your words will find few places in majority of African hearts. Most of us behave like a woman who would rather fall for a lieing man than one who says the truth.
This line of thought should be adopted by whoever aspire to be leader.
God bless you Dr Mumba, in politics and outside politics.
Ba Nevers, this just another personal fundraising venture.
He needs to team up with Clive to make sense.