We are at it again. We love allowing distractions, indicating that our leadership priorities are not set correctly. I do not see room for accusations and counter-accusations because Kemi is not one of over three hundred million Nigerians needing leadership benefits.
Kemi Badenoch has her roots in Nigeria. That is sorted. She is British, and the British Conservative Party has elected her as their leader. Her hands are full of defending democracy in the United Kingdom through adequate checks and balances on the ruling Labour Party. Kemi focuses on taking Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, head-on on policies and governance while hoping for an early election to swing the votes in her party’s favour. Peradventure, she might become the prime minister, a position she would doubt herself in. Unfortunately, she cannot decamp to the ruling party as we do in Nigeria.
Read also: Okonjo-Iweala, Kemi Badenoch: The duo whose great feats shame Nigeria!
We might have expected Kemi to behave like us, celebrate her opposition party headship with a visit to Nigeria, and experience a rosy welcome by a country whose childish memory is different from usual. She has not declined to be associated with her native land but only referenced her experiences. Kemi should have known the limits but is not obligated to polish her experience in exchange for the truth. She is a new generation that is not cultured to cover what is not good, even by her parents. However, one would have expected a clause with a hopeful connotation for a better Nigeria in her reference to her past because she is a leader. A leader gives hope and does not make loose comparisons against people of any kind, including those who are taking others backwards. As badly as she portrayed her Nigerian experience, some of her contemporaries still feel nostalgic for a peaceful and free Nigeria of the past. A type of Nigeria the VP, Kashim Shettima, grew with and contributed to the state it is now. Every Nigerian leader, including the so-called founding fathers, is responsible for leading us to where we are today.
Suppose Mrs. Badenoch needs to be more mature in setting boundaries in her references. Shouldn’t we be more mature by ignoring her and focusing on what is required? With the gazillions of troubles in security, the high cost of living, and the demand for justice and fairness by the federation nations vis-à-vis the revenue-sharing formula through new tax legislation, I do not see how and where the issue of Kemi becomes a topic or a front burner for the Vice President of Nigeria. I can understand the agitations of the social commentators in defence of Nigeria. An average Nigerian of my age loves Nigeria. They would defend their beloved crawling giant even with the failure of the leadership to improve on the past. However, for the trivial issue of Kemi to find its way into the speech of the Vice President is mimicking, and one should question the seriousness of the minds of his speechwriters and his logic for accepting to be drawn into such an unimportant issue. If you call a terrible father his actual name, the children whose fathers are terrible need not fight anyone for telling the truth. All they need to do is to achieve something notable to change the story by being a better example of their father.
“Every Nigerian leader, including the so-called founding fathers, is responsible for leading us to where we are today.”
When Nnamdi Kanu called Nigeria a jungle, hell was not let loose. We know we are not a jungle but a country where a civil case like that of Dele Farotimi is treated like a criminal case. In contrast, a criminal case of embezzlement of state funds and the deliberate impoverishment of millions of citizens by an ex-governor was treated as a civil case. We need to get our priorities right to rewrite the stories of our wrong steps.
All our efforts on Kemi’s comments are a waste of resources, especially time, creating a problematic situation should things change. We do not need Kemi at this point, and she did not need us even if she had leverage on the Black race to be elected in the past. But no one knows tomorrow. Instead of deliberately looking for who to fight, why can’t we take Oyedepo’s approach in this situation? Criticise Bishop David Oyedepo for the stupor, but he would not respond because he was too busy minding his business. We should resolve our multiple problems as a country without adding bags to our excess luggage. We should be mindful of all slipping slopes to rebuild Nigeria by addressing our followership and leadership failures.
We have fragile unity and diversity that we need to explore to our advantage. There is insecurity and hunger in the land. Some slack variables in our decision-making lead to economic difficulties for our unemployed population. Now that we have a government that is not perfect but is bold enough to make some selective, difficult decisions necessary to rebuild Nigeria, should we mind our business instead of glorifying Kemi’s truth with responses and agitation? Instead, we should objectively dispute her references if they are not valid. Is her comment on corruption and police not true?
Read also: Brickbats over Kemi Badenoch
Let’s shield swords and focus on building a better and desirable Nigeria where the children of nobody can become somebody without the need to experience another set of civil colonisations in foreign countries. Kemi has referred to her truth: She is in a new generation where no one hides what is terrible about them but says things as they are. Kashim Shettima should, therefore, focus on rebuilding Nigeria so that the Nigerians can benefit from what he had benefited from while growing up.
Babs Olugbemi FCCA, the Chief Vision Officer at Mentoras Leadership Limited and Founder of Positive Growth Africa. He can be reached on [email protected] or 07064176953 or on Twitter @Successbabs.
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