On Wednesday, April 6, 2016, Mr. Patrice Talon was sworn in as the new president of the Republic of Benin, succeeding President Boni Yayi who had led the country for the past 10 years, after serving the maximum of two terms. One must congratulate the entire people of Benin for another smooth transition. Indeed, the country has often been referred to as “an oasis of stability” in the West African sub-region, especially considering that its neighbours are frequently mired in social unrest and various forms of upheavals.
On Saturday, December 14, 2007, I had the singular privilege of reading the citation of President Boni Yayi on the occasion of his award of an honorary doctorate degree by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). In celebration of both the man for whom I have much respect, and to show my solidarity and friendship with the people of Benin Republic, I wish to share in this write-up excerpts from the citation I presented on President Boni Yayi.
With your kind permission, Mr. Chancellor, I wish to begin my citation on this illustrious son of Africa with a personal testimony. Earlier this year, at the height of the rainy season, I travelled to Porto Novo, in Benin Republic, for an international conference. The whole area was flooded, along the expressway from Badagry right up to Porto Novo and Cotonou. One evening in my hotel room as I watched the local news, great was my surprise to see in a report the man standing in front of you today, the President of the Republic of Benin, wading knee-deep through the flood waters and in the pouring rain, along with some members of his cabinet. You would agree, sir, that not too many leaders are that willing to get their hands dirty – and their feet wet! – in the course of the performance of their duties. I saw in that act a deep sense of commitment to work and a desire to ensure that solutions are found to problems.
Thomas Boni Yayi was born in 1952 to a Muslim family in Tchaourou, in the Borgou Department of northern Dahomey, now Benin Republic. He has since become an evangelical Christian (and in some places one hears of him being referred to as a pastor)… This august assembly realises, of course, that occupying a position is in itself nothing, for our society is teeming with individuals who have acquired a long trail of titles based on the positions they have occupied but who, unfortunately, have very little to show for their having occupied those positions other than the titles that go with them. Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi is most certainly not of that genre. He has left behind him a trail of palpable achievements which can be attested to across the entire Francophone West African sub-region. Permit me to highlight a few of them, resulting primarily from his work as the Executive Chairman of the West African Development Bank:
• A complete restructuring of the bank to ensure its active involvement in the fight against poverty;
• A 500 per cent increase in bank loans for projects in member states, to the tune of 80 billion CFA Francs;
• Massive recovery of loans and debts, resulting in a much healthier bank, better able to truly serve the people…
What is being said here is that due to the diligent and conscientious manner in which Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi has carried out his duties in every single position he has occupied, and due to his uncommon degree of integrity, many lives all across West Africa have been able to break out of the cycle of poverty in which they had for long been caught. This is the reason that several countries, including his own, have specially recognised his contribution to their people’s well-being by conferring on him a series of distinctions and awards.
I come now to the achievements of this great Servant of Africa since he assumed office as the President of the Republic of Benin on April 6, 2006… In just over a year during which Dr. Boni Yayi has been President of the Republic of Benin, significant achievements have been trailing him, characteristically, among them:
– Massive generation of employment in the private and public sectors of the Beninois economy;
• Introduction of indigenous languages into the formal school system in order to fight illiteracy and promote grassroots development;
• Transparency in governance and a convincing fight against corruption.
Dr. Boni Yayi is a true leader who knows how to connect with and inspire his people. He is passionate about the development of Benin and Africa and, for him this can only be achieved through hardwork. Quoting from a speech he once gave: “More than anything else, work is the secret of development. Since independence, the primary focus has been on peace and national unity. These can be said to have been achieved. Now, let’s get on with the work.” Indeed, a trip to Benin Republic would reveal that it is a country that is busy working, a country that is rising up on its feet, determined to exploit its “enormous human and natural resources and compete with the dragons of Asia”, using President Boni Yayi’s own words.
Interestingly, Boni Yayi’s successor was once accused of involvement in a plot to poison the president. He was later pardoned and returned home to contest the elections, defeating Yayi’s preferred candidate, Lionel Zinsou. Wishing both presidents the very best!