Reorientation of leadership in our system.
It is no secret that the birth of various systems that have historically governed different parts of the world have been a consequence of the current conditions of the existing era. For instance, in the early nineteenth century, slavery was a system practiced in various regions of the African continent, governing how commodity and native powers stripped by foreigners. It was the new normal, a transition from the freedom of the African people to the aftereffect of colonization that labelled this freedom as "barbaric".
Despite the "independence" of affected countries, there is still a struggle to return to the glory of Africa's past. The past still haunts; inflicted wounds still hurt; perhaps they never healed, if you tell a child that they are incapable of development without outside interference long enough, they will inevitably exhibit stunted growth. Nigeria is definitely still struggling. In her early stages of teething and first steps, Nigeria's initial attempt of civilian rule under Tafawa Balewa and subsequently, Nnamdi Azikiwe collapsed, falling into the hands of power-hungry dictators who smelled her naïveté from their barracks. Nigeria spiralled under autocracy, short-lived head-of-state tenures and ultimately, a devastating civil war until democracy was restored more than two decades after it was first seized.
I took us back in time to make us realize that the issues Nigerians have with leadership today are not as a result of recent events, but a gradual progression of the past which accumulated to birth a messed up leadership that has trickled-down from the government to corrupt even the most mundane of society in homes, schools, offices and places of worship. Nigeria is the promised land with promises unfulfilled. The "giant" of Africa, slain. Our leadership needs work. In light of the upcoming elections, its time we vote with the understanding that empathy in leadership does not negate strength. Empathy calls for self awareness, emotional intelligence, courage and balance.
Any leadership devoid of these elements is intrinsically flawed. The legendary Sun Tzu said this:
"Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trust worthiness, humanness, courage and discipline, reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Excess of humanness alone results in weakness. Fixation in trust results in folly. Dependence on strength or courage results in violence. Excessive discipline and sternness in command results in cruelty but when one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader".
A leader with emotional intelligence is able to adequately visualize and respond to the point of view of those they govern, and knows enough to adopt Servant Leadership which, as the name implies, is the philosophy coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in his famous 1970 essay The servant as leader- that a leader is called to serve before they lead. This means that they have to put the needs of the people before their on:lining the pocket of the people not their own; fighting for the rights of the governed over hiding within the cocoon of their privileges; creating transparency that reassures and wins the trust of the people rather than feeding the cabal a the expense of their integrity.
It is important, however, to note that the change starts with us as a people. If we aren't reflecting the changes we want to see in our society in our own personal lives, then society will remain a breeding ground for the same old, after all life is an endless cycle and future generations are subject to their environment. As citizens, we need to come down from or self-righteous perches and change tactics from mainly critiquing or flaunting political expertise and exhibit what we desire in our various spheres of influence. Take a look at the many used-to-be spectators that have taken initiative and emerged as political candidates for the upcoming elections, they understand there is much work to be done in building a republic that protects all of us, running is their form of resistance. What's yours?
Greenleaf had this to say:
"Serving stands in sharp contrast to this kind of thinking, it requires that the concerned individual accepts the problems he or she sees in the world as his or her own personal task, as a means of achieving his or her own integrity. He or she sees the external manifestation of this internal achievement as beginning with caring for individual persons in ways that require dedication and skill that help them grow and become healthier, stronger and more autonomous"
We each have a role to play and we all need each other for the vision of a strong Nigeria to be actualized. So getting your PVC is a good start, but casting your vote in that ballot come 2019 is the ultimate act of perseverance, solidarity and duty.
