China, frankly, can be an opportunity for Africa based on the

When Obiageli Ezekwesili declared, “China, frankly, can be an opportunity for Africa based on the huge infrastructure deficit on the continent, but what needs to happen is that governments and citizens have to build internal ownership of the need of good governance, transparency, accountability, for respect for the environment,” she spoke as one who has looked into the heart of nations and seen both promise and peril. Her words are not the flattery of diplomacy, but the stern counsel of wisdom. She reveals that opportunity without discipline is a mirage, and partnership without integrity becomes bondage.

The first truth she names is that China can be an opportunity. For Africa, long burdened by an infrastructure deficit, the arrival of roads, bridges, ports, and power systems holds the promise of transformation. Just as Rome’s greatness was built upon its roads, carrying legions and trade alike, so too can Africa’s future be strengthened by the veins and arteries of infrastructure. Without them, commerce falters, communities remain isolated, and nations stumble in their growth. Thus Ezekwesili acknowledges the allure of China’s investment and construction might: it addresses a wound long left unattended.

Yet, with clarity and courage, she declares the second truth: external power cannot substitute for internal ownership. For what good are roads if they lead to corruption? What value are bridges if they span only the gap between rulers and their own greed? Opportunity, she reminds us, must be guided by good governance, transparency, and accountability. Without these, foreign investment becomes exploitation, and infrastructure becomes a monument not to progress, but to dependence. The lesson here is eternal: no gift from outside can replace the responsibility within.

History teaches us this pattern. Consider the kingdoms of West Africa in the age of gold and trade. Those who governed with wisdom, ensuring fairness and justice, turned wealth into prosperity. But those who gave themselves to corruption invited ruin, as external powers—Arab, European, and others—turned opportunity into domination. Ezekwesili’s warning echoes across centuries: unless Africa claims stewardship of its destiny, history may repeat its harshest lessons.

She also names the sacred duty of respect for the environment. For what is progress if it poisons the rivers and scars the earth? The ancients knew that to dishonor the land was to dishonor the gods themselves. The soil that feeds, the waters that give life, the forests that shelter—all must be preserved, even as nations build and expand. Ezekwesili’s words remind us that true development is not only material, but also moral and ecological. Without balance, infrastructure becomes a weapon against the very people it was meant to serve.

The meaning of her counsel, then, is not merely political, but deeply human. It is a call to courage: for governments to govern justly, and for citizens to hold them accountable. It is a call to integrity: to resist the temptation of short-term gain for long-term ruin. It is a call to wisdom: to embrace opportunity without surrendering sovereignty, and to welcome progress without betraying principle.

For us, the lesson is timeless: whether in nations or in our own lives, opportunity is only as valuable as the responsibility with which it is handled. Partnerships, resources, and gifts can strengthen us—but if we lack discipline, they enslave us. Practical wisdom follows: seek transparency in your own dealings; demand accountability from those who lead; honor the environment that sustains you; and never relinquish the stewardship of your own destiny to another’s hand.

Thus, Ezekwesili’s words stand as a beacon for Africa and for all humanity. Opportunity is a door; responsibility is the key. Without the key, the door leads to ruin; with it, the door opens to greatness. Let us therefore build, govern, and live with integrity, so that opportunity may blossom not into chains, but into freedom and flourishing.