IS IT A LEADERSHIP OR FOLLOWERSHIP QUESTION

                           THE LEADERSHIP QUESTION

“Your future is created by what you do today,

Not Tomorrow.” ~ Robert Kiyosaki

Are you one of those who believe that the problem of Nigeria is that of “Leadership”? You are not alone, but the question is what have you done to change the status quo? It’s very likely too that some in the corridors of power today also felt the same way in the past,  so why is it that almost 16 years of Democratic experiment, we are still crawling as a Nation? Why do we keep going in circles? And it seems there is no end in sight. Rather it’s like we are drifting more and more into the abyss. Is there hope?

That we lack leaders with Vision is no news. We also lack leaders with passion and definitely we lack leaders who are ready for the task of Leadership. And those who find themselves in leadership positions today are not doing anything concrete to turn the tide around. Analyst point to the recent elections in Osun state, that the election was PDP to lose and we lost it the day the Party picked Omisore a Political Baggage, a man who has many questions to answer as its flag bearer. Osun has come and gone, have we learnt the lessons?

We celebrate those things that so called lesser African nations take for granted. A leader here is said to be an achiever, if the roads mostly in the capital city are tarred (even though the contracts are highly inflated), if the streets have street lights (they may be powered by generators), if the schools are renovated (the pupils and students fail exams abysmally), the Hospitals are renovated (But they are still consulting centers) etc. public officers actually spend more on the media than they do meeting the needs of the people.

That aside, we have people vying for public office, who have no clue as to what is demanded of them when they get to that office or what the office entails. They have no personal vision; they have no Mission statement or a guiding principle for their lives. So how can such an individual have a vision for the office they seek and lead with Purpose? And of course when purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. From Councillorship to Governor; until we put premium on Quality and Merit, we will never break the circle of non performance. http://tinyurl.com/len589q

HOW DO WE STOP THE CIRCLE OF NEGATIVITY? 

ONLY THE QUALIFIED SHOULD LEAD:

Public office must not be seen as a means to settle political godfathers; it must not be on the basis of ethnicity, religion or connection. It should not be on the basis of settling old scores or as a thank you for an old favour. The most qualified person based on antecedent, past record in private or public service should be given the mandate to lead.

READERS ARE LEADERS:

How many of today’s leaders are readers? There is this very annoying statement that “If you want to hide anything from a Black man, put it in a Book” instead of being challenged by this statement, most of today’s Leaders and Aspiring Leaders lay credence to it as they do not read. Readers are Leaders is a time worn cliché. Conscious and Deliberate effort must be made to anoint those who are determined to make a difference. This has nothing to do with paper qualification but all to do with the individual’s unquenchable quest for knowledge.

MENTORSHIP:

Whatever you want to do in life, someone has done it before. Look out for role models. Unfortunately our society puts a very low premium on the need for role models. Great Leaders are made not born. There is a Moses for every Joshua, An Elijah for every Elisha. Every Eagle learns to fly from the Mother Eagle. Mr. Governor, Mr. Lawmaker, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Councilor, who is your Mentor?

QUEST FOR A PLACE IN HISTORY:

One thing that motivates rare leaders to rise above the ordinary is their quest for a place in History. It’s what sets out Political Icons of our Great Nation and the World Apart. Today Politicians seek to outdo one another in how much they can accumulate in terms of Choice properties and foreign Bank Accounts. They loot the treasury mindlessly, so much so that many are considered prime patients of psychiatric homes.

It was Albert Einstein who is quoted to have said “The world is a Dangerous Place to live in, NOT because of those who do evil, but because of those who watch and let it happen” been despondent will not change the situation, neither will our siddon look attitude or sitting on the fence. Nations are made great by her citizens and it takes conscious effort to do so. If indeed, it’s true that “In a Democracy people get the leaders they deserve.” ~ Abraham Lincoln, the leadership question is also a fellowship question. Now that you know, what are you going to do?