The best of men improves with age. The rest either stagnate or diminish as they grow in stature. The recently revived United African Organization (UAO) is beginning to tread the later despite unprecedented gains of recent past.

In the last two years, issues affecting African immigrants have been made known to relevant authorities. UAO has entered into partnerships with Rainbow Push Coalition, ICCR and even secured a leadership position with ICCR.

It hosted a well-attended gathering on refugee and immigration issues at the heat of immigration reform in Washington DC.

UAO brought Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the community where he pledged to open doors of opportunity to African immigrants. Grants are gradually tricking in which necessitated the need to hire staffs for the day to day running of the fledging organization.

The once ostracized Francophone Africans and others who left in the wake of the last administration have returned and North Africans who most of the time see themselves as more Middle Eastern are gradually coming back to the family.

These among others are laudable achievements especially within the period of the reconstitution of the once moribund organization.

The on-going transformation of its leaders gives cause for concern and a drastic action has to be taken before things eventually fall apart.

An African adage says “a tree does not make a forest.” Alie Kabba, the incumbent president of UAO is a good and visionary leader. So also is the vice president Anthony Cole who may soon become the headmaster of the organization.

Cole is a tested and fine politician and community leader.

However, the necessary structures must be put in place before the vision is clouded by power and greed. UAO needs its own office space and not a borrowed headquarters.

If ICCR and ECAC could own and operate their offices, why not the United Africans organization. And with it comes a full time staffers not a part-time officer or an old wine in a new bottle.

Even if these present leaders end their tenure in putting such in place, they will be remembered as setting the stage for greatness.

The present administration must know that the uproar in the community against recent moves is deafening and an India adage says “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Anything otherwise is setting the stage for disaster. Present UAO leaders ought to know that some organizations that ought to come under the UAO organizational chart opted out because of what they called constituting too much power in one hand.

These groups may laugh last if care is not taken despite their known hidden agendas.

Besides, the group that toiled day and night for 18 months to take the power away from the old guard saw some qualities in them before electing them to these positions along with other board members despite opposition and blackmails from the old guard.

These groups are not happy. Meeting on why the advisory board was dissolved without amending the constitution is going on and only God’s know if a tough battle lay ahead.

A word is enough for the wise before things finally fall apart in the community.