Patrice Lumumba: Wealth for the People

by Blessing Simon

Patrice Lumumba was the Congo’s first prime minister after independence in 1960 and a fierce voice for reclaiming national wealth from colonial control. Reading about him, I focused on the practical suggestions he made for redistributing wealth and ending foreign domination. Here are the three most important suggestions he made and my honest thoughts as an atheist and humanist.

Some important suggestions Lumumba made:

Take control of national resources and end foreign economic dominance. Lumumba argued that Congo’s minerals and riches should benefit Congolese people, not foreign companies and colonial authorities. He wanted national control over mines and natural resources so that the wealth would fund schools, health, and public services.

Rally national unity and popular participation. Lumumba called for unity across the Congo’s many regions and peoples so that ordinary citizens and workers could shape the country’s future. He had roots in trade-union organizing and believed the nation’s wealth must be used for the masses, not to enrich a few.

Resist neocolonial interference and demand real independence. Lumumba warned that political independence would be hollow unless economic and political control over the country was truly Congolese. He urged African solidarity against outside meddling and exploitation.

My reflections, thoughts, and reactions;

As a humanist, I do not appeal to any divine authority; I judge policies by real human consequences. Lumumba’s program spoke to me because it is rooted in human dignity: if a country’s people do not control the wealth beneath their feet, then formal independence is a shallow victory. Reclaiming resource control is a logical step toward funding healthcare, education, and social safety nets. I strongly agree with Lumumba’s insistence that resources must serve ordinary people. That is basic justice.

I also admire his commitment to popular participation. The idea that workers, peasants, and unions should help decide national priorities fits with a humanist ethic: people should have a real voice in decisions that affect their lives. Lumumba’s background in organizing trade unions made his demands for distribution realistic and grounded in social reality. I think his emphasis on unity was necessary because extractive elites easily seize newly available rents if the state is weak.

At the same time, I am realistic about the dangers. Reclaiming resources requires institutions capable of managing them transparently. Too often after independence, newly nationalized assets ended up controlled by small elite networks, causing corruption or mismanagement. So while I agree with the goal, I also demand clear proposals for accountability: independent audits, worker participation, and democratic control of revenues. Without those checks, the same inequality can simply be re-cast with different faces in charge.

Finally, Lumumba’s assassination in 1961 and the clear role of outside powers in destabilizing him remains a painful lesson. It shows how determined colonial and Cold War interests were to stop redistribution. That injustice makes his message more urgent today: many African countries still struggle with economic arrangements that drain value outward. Lumumba’s life and death push me, as a humanist, to support efforts that combine economic reclamation with democratic safeguards.

Conclusion:

I agree with Lumumba’s core suggestions: reclaim resources, unite the people, and resist external control. I add a humanist insistence: do it transparently, democratically, and for the measurable improvement of people’s lives. His courage and clarity remain an important guide for any honest effort to distribute wealth fairly.