Idris Deby is not a hero – Chadian activist

An activist, Ibrahim Zain Congy, has said the late Chadian President Idris Derby is not an African hero.

He said under the late Derby, Chad remained one of the poorest countries in the world.

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The activist, who made the comment while addressing journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday, said the unemployment rate in Chad is still the highest in the world, with only less than 20,000 employees in both the private and public sectors.

Congy said they were in Nigeria to draw the world’s attention to the situation in his country because people are not aware of the problems in Chad since the media is not free to report the reality.

“They keep seeing Derby as a hero but Derby is not a hero because over 80 percent of our citizens are illiterate; they cannot write even their names or phone numbers.”

This is why you cannot get a recharge card in Chad because many cannot read the numbers to load on their phones; they rather transfer the recharge cards. I know a senior army official who cannot write his name.

“For the 31 years of his rule, the only thing invested was social division, communal crisis, rising cases of employment and corruption. The corruption in Nigeria is like a drop in an ocean compared with Chad.

“I wish Chad to be a better country than Nigeria, I wish Chad to be the best country in the world but unfortunately the reality is not like that and we have to be realistic. We should detach ourselves by emotions and greed because it’s only the reality that can bring change,” he said.

He further called on Nigerian government and other regional leaders to help Chad out of its current political crisis by rejecting the military junta that succeeded Idris Derby.

He said Chad needs help from other African nations so that it can do well economically for the betterment of its citizens.