“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain, on shedding blood and on oppression and extortion.”
For long I’ve opined that Nigeria doesn’t lack “leaders” but it has, for as long as some of us are old enough to remember, while much longer than the younger ones have any known, suffered from a glaring dearth of leadership. A true leader can be defined in so many ways. One, is that he should be full of conviction. He must have a clear sense of right and wrong and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying personal success, it should not be as a result of denying others of what is rightfully theirs. The natural inclination of a true leader is also to help and better the circumstances of others.
A good political leader for instance, should be looking to serve the interest of his constituency whereas a good leader in the family or in a corporate entity should look to empower his people with values and skills that will enable them to have a better future. His food should be to inspire them to better themselves in every way. This tallies with one of my definitions of success which is in being able to help another by passing across to them what you’ve learned from experience.
It is my conviction however that if our leaders can’t produce a good society, then our society urgently needs to produce good leaders. And that brings me to a word, of which I have never heard truer. It says, “When the disciples are ready, the master will appear. It’s the readiness and yearnings and aspirations of the people that will determine the calibre and character of those who rule them. In a society of rogues, honesty will be a heavy discount.” I believe this was a strong admonition not to put the cart before the horse by a leader, who will continue to be revered for his uncommon vision and for doing all he could to better the lives of others. It was none other than Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
There are no two ways about it; until this message is sufficiently internalised and acted upon, we will continue to be the wrong type of people, selecting the wrong type of leaders. And ironically, we’ll continue to wonder why things don’t work.; portraying us like that man who’s ever a sucker for punishment; always doing the wrong thing and yet coming back for more. Each time hoping for a miracle that this time around, the result will be different.
I remember a time in my childhood. I must have been about six years old. We spent the summer holidays in London, at my mother’s aunt’s house; Aunty Wembley, as we fondly called her then because that was where she and her husband lived. She had this small but lovely garden at the back of her house. It was squarish, just like a boxing ring. And that was just as well because that was what my older brother and I turned it into, anytime we were able to slip away from the prying eyes of the adults in the house. As we “entered the ring” we would do all the effizy of punching the air and doing the “Ali shuffle” like seasoned gladiators, trying to impress an “empty crowd”.
At the sound of the bell, “Pogom” which we made with our mouths of course, we would both come bounding out of our respective corners to engage in our “world title” bout. On my part, the bounding only lasted for about two rounds, after which it was more like a stagger but still, I would come out anyway. At that age, three years difference was no joke and it was certainly more than enough to guarantee me getting a good hiding. Punches were limited to only the shoulders but after some serious pummelling in the preceding round, I remember how heavy my arms would start to feel when trying to lift them up again. It was absolute agony.
Once I’d had enough and just couldn’t bear the pain anymore, I would surrender by just crumbling on the floor. But did I ever learn back then? Not really. I kept hoping and praying for a different result. And that was where the problem lay. Making a decision which from the very beginning could only go one way was utter foolishness but I did it anyway. Well, at least I could be excused somewhat, as I can easily put the error in judgment down to my age then. No one would accept that as an excuse if I was to do the same now.
A man once said, “We must learn to make the connection between choices and consequences. Because we’re responsible for the choices we make, we cannot deny responsibility for their consequences also.” I believe these would be wise words to live by.
“Pogom” is the alarm bell that urgently needs to reverberate in the mind of every Nigerian who genuinely desires to see a positive change in the affairs of our dear land.
Changing the nation…one child at a time.
