One of the key values sportsmen and women are taught is called the sporting spirit. It comprises the ability to let go when they suffer a defeat in a sporting event among others. Sportsmen and women often congratulate the opponent while they go back to the drawing board to evaluate what went wrong in view of performing better next time. That is what brought about the popular saying ‘the spirit of sportsmanship.’
Humility, selflessness and love are key to human leadership. It usually takes a great leader to say “I’ll let go.” He will let go because the interest and well-being of his country supersedes his personal ambitions.
Leaders of nations, especially in Africa, have over the decades frequently thrown their countries into strife and war in the pursuit of their personal and narrow-minded ambitions.
The failure of the leadership of Cote d’Ivoire to let go caused the death of over 3,000 people after the 2010 presidential election between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara.
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Kenya boiled in 2007 in a post election crisis. The disputed election between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga claimed 130 lives because none of the leaders was ready to let go.
Just recently in The Gambia, at least 24 people lost their lives in a disputed election because neither Yahya Jammeh nor Adama Barrow was ready to let go after the heated crisis that ensued after the 2016 general elections.
In as much as Africa has witnessed avoidable crises arising from disputed elections, leading to the death of citizens, the continent has, however, prided herself with leaders who let go even in the midst of obvious cheating or with the opportunity to stay put in power.
To the total relief of Nigerians and international community, Gen. Olusegun Obansanjo conducted elections in 1979 and handed over to the first executive president in Nigeria, Shehu Shagari. Obasanjo imbibed the virtues of humility and allowed the spirit of ‘let it go’ to take precedence.
Having been released from prison and putting end to apartheid regime, South Africans overwhelmingly voted for Nelson Mandela as the first post-apartheid president, in 1994. The whole world was surprised when Mandela decided to let go by declining to contest for a second term in office, despite his people’s wish that he do so.
Despite having served for only one year and faced with the opportunity to stay in power longer, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar conducted general elections in 1999 and handed over to a democratically elected civilian. Nigeria still enjoys the benefits of the democracy he ushered in 20 years ago.
“My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” With those words, in 2015, Goodluck Jonathan took the world by surprise when he conceded defeated even before the official announcement of the election result. That was how Jonathan let go his pride. His famous statement still resonates in the minds of many Nigerians.
Here we are again in 2019 to test our democracy. But really, it is not our democracy that is being tested, rather, it is the quality and integrity of our leaders that is being put to test.
As we await the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, our leaders should embrace the spirit of sportsmanship and be ready to leg go. Re-emphasising Jonathan’s axiom, no one’s ambition should worth the blood of any Nigerian. It is time to say, ‘I let it go.’
