Senegal’s 42-year-old president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has delivered a powerful message about leadership, humility, and integrity.
Speaking to public officials, President Faye said he does not want his photographs displayed in government offices. Instead, he urged civil servants to hang pictures of their own children.
“I don’t really want my photographs in your offices, because I am not a God or an icon, but a servant of the nation,” he said.
He encouraged leaders and public workers to look at their children’s photos whenever they are about to make important decisions. According to him, this would remind them of their responsibility to protect the country’s future.
The president added that when the temptation of corruption appears, officials should look at their family pictures and ask themselves whether their children deserve to be known as the family of someone who betrayed the nation.
His remarks have been widely interpreted as a strong stand against corruption and personality cult politics. In many countries, portraits of leaders are commonly displayed in public offices as a sign of authority. However, Faye’s message shifts the focus from loyalty to a person toward accountability to citizens.
President Faye, who came to power promising reform and transparency, has repeatedly emphasized that leadership is about service, not personal glorification. His statement reinforces his image as a reform-minded leader determined to fight corruption and restore trust in public institutions.
The message has resonated strongly with many Senegalese citizens, who see it as a call for moral responsibility and ethical leadership at all levels of government.
