NIGERIA @ 53: WHICH WAY THE LEADERSHIP? What leadership ingredients do Nigerian leaders possess, be it political, administrative or any leadership role? Are they the people who can be judged by their performances in previous roles, people who have excelled in various areas of life, people with potentials? And who do they surround themselves with? Do they surround themselves with people of intellect, integrity, good morals and sound education? I believe that these are the judgments Nigerians have to make, as well as the underlying considerations for supporting or working for any leadership role in Nigeria. It should not matter what their religion is, it should not matter whether they be from the North or South. What should matter should be the quality of the prospective leader(s) Unfortunately, for the core of our leadership the essence of grabbing power has never been for the purpose of development and improvement of the lives of the people. It has always been to preserve elitism by furthering class distinction to the absolute disadvantage of the general populace. This perception is informed by the general level of existence of the majority of Nigerians from all walks of life and ethnicity in today’s Nigeria. Looking at all the long years that one leader after another held the reins of government, years that would have been more than enough for a focused, selfless leader to positively transform the lot of Nigeria and all Nigerians, the only thing that seems to have been achieved, is the absolute poverty, widespread misery, despair and hopelessness of Nigerians, evident in all spheres of their day to day living! Without gainsaying, however, what is very evident is that year in, year out, these leaders, rulers, or looters, come out greatly richer than they were before they took office. In practice, there is a zilch difference between the northern leaders and the southern leaders. A common factor of this hideous cesspit of Nigeria’s arrogant leadership over the past decades is their shameless preoccupation with stealing public funds by both elected and unelected state officials. Barefaced treasury looting and gross corruption has long since been elevated to high art, to the detriment of the higher ideal of sacrifice and service delivery in the interest of the vast majority. Funds that are meant for servicing the needs of society often end up in the pockets of politicians and government officials and their cronies. In the end, no one benefits other than these hardened, shameless thieves in government and their immediate families and cronies. The mechanism for accountability has been and is still deficient. There is a glaring absence of consequence for dishonest acts and large scale stealing of the common wealth, and so the looting extravaganza of public funds goes on unhindered. With so much money available for stress-free stealing at the centre, the elite in either camp are ready to risk anything to succeed to the top of the pile of thieves. The time has come for Nigeria to be saved from its self-inflicted demons, and it can only be saved by re-inventing it. Therefore, President Jonathan must, for once, prove to the Nigerian people that he is the leader they elected by seizing this moment to show Nigerians that he is not a weak leader as aptly stated by many Nigerians, as well as shown by many acts and omissions of his administration. He is currently surrounded by bootlicking cabinet members who are taking full advantage of a seemingly disabled and deluded president whose leadership deficit appears to grow every day. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. President Jonathan has failed miserably to define reality. He is caught up in his own power, pride and arrogance that ultimately drive his administration. As a leader, President Jonathan is afraid to make mistakes and fails to admit them when he does. The need for courageous advisers and cabinet members who could brave the presidential aura and awe and tell President Jonathan the truth cannot be stressed enough. A good leader must encourage reflective backtalk which allows the leader to learn and to find out more about his leadership shortcomings. President Jonathan believes more in pleasing people than in serving people. This has to change drastically if he wishes to make success of his Leadership. The make-up of President Jonathan’s cabinet and advisers tells us that he likes people who would deceive him and tell him lies he would like to hear. On the contrary, a good leader encourages dissent in a positive way. All good leaders need people around them who have contrary views, who can tell them the difference between what the ruled expect and what is really going on. They don’t go hiring reflectors and clones that will mirror their opinions and desires. The duty of a leader is to look into the eyes of his staff and ask them point blank to tell him exactly what’s wrong with him and his administration, even if it means losing his job. A leader should possess optimism, faith, and hope. Optimism and hope provide choices. But how can our spineless, stealing leaders give what they don’t have? The opposite of hope is despair. Nigerians are in despair. And when the people are in despair they feel trapped, crushed, helpless, and choiceless. A good leader thinks of the impact of every decision he makes on public opinion, on the poor, the middle class, on consumers, on labour unions, on the states, on the councils, and so many other groups in the society. Leaders would surely face choices that affect not only their own lives, but many others, so they must put others first, and in many instances it may even be people whom they are likely to disagree with. A good leader must choose what is best for others, not what appeals to just his taste. A good leader must constantly ask himself who will benefit most from his decision, me or others? Good leaders know when to heed warnings and advice. For our clueless short-changing leaders who refuse to heed warnings, but think that they can flee justice in the end, all I can say is that when the right time comes, the people’s fury of revenge would find them out! Sam. Ohiwerei.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:01:36 +0000
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