Leadership is the ability to influence others towards a shared goal or a personal goal. Similarly, patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one’s country.
Selflessness, on the other hand, helps us identify and connect with others, helping us squash our egos because we are not acting out of pride or for a desire to be noticed.
According to Chinua Achebe, the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. This assertion of his could be because the crop of leaders we have in Nigeria lack the values of patriotism and selflessness.
As a result of the leadership failure, Nigeria is buffeted by many problems. Bribery and corruption are rife. Nepotism, ethnic jingoism, social injustice and inequality are the order of the day. Inflation is soaring high. Youth unemployment is on the rise, just as there is massive retrenchment of workers, with its attendant rise in crime rate, particularly kidnapping and ritual killings.
Mr Kusi Boafo, Ghana’s head of Public Sector Reforms made the following remark after returning from a week’s visit to Rwanda;
“The only thing we have than Rwanda is our politicians drive luxurious cars than theirs. From what I saw, Ghana is an embarrassment of a country and a total abomination to the creator.
“I was there with a 7 member delegation. We stepped out to find food. In fact, there was no seller on the streets and everything was in order. With the equivalence of 40cedis, I fed all the 7 people. Rent is so controlled and accommodation is easy. I realized Ghana is in crisis.
“Police were not stopping us unnecessarily on our way. So, I asked the driver and he told me all vehicles are equipped with chips from the Vehicle Licensing. Once your car is road worthy and license are valid, you just swipe them every morning. If it expires, the police are aware.
“We toured the country. Saw lot of big plantations like coffee, tea and others. To my amazement, there were ambulances following farmers to the plantations in case there’s an injury. These small villages had hospitals with very young efficient working medics. I was in awe.”
The foregoing remarks might paint Rwanda like a country outside the shores of Africa, but it is an African country, just like Nigeria. The difference between Rwanda and Nigeria, however, is that while their civil war thought them how to survive, ours thought most of us how to be better thieves and tribalistic.
Indeed, Rwanda is a mini miracle in Africa. In Africa, and as in the case of Nkrumah you have to be a benevolent dictator to be able to do this.
Most people contend that Nigeria’s problem lies in our configuration. They say glibly that the solution to our many woes lies in restructuring.
However, the truth remains that the trouble is not with our different ethnicities; the problem is the management of them.
It is the misfortune of having bad leaders that is responsible for the mismanagement of our nation’s resources and diversity.
It is very clear that the people empowered by the constitution to promote good governance, maintain order and security, dedicate to unity, harmony, welfare and peace of mind of every citizen have been overwhelmed by the menaces in the country they have helped to create and abdicated their responsibilities.
Indeed, there is certainly a dearth of true leadership in Nigeria. Given that governance in Nigeria has been held in abeyance over the years, every fiber of our national life is crying out for true leaders, leaders who are patriotic, selfless and detribalized.
Nigeria needs a transformational leader. Such leader is a good economic manager: growing the economy, creating jobs, increasing income and distributing it equitably. He is good an excellent international trade negotiator. He is pacific and not hawkish, and does not waste his country resources in unnecessary foreign missions and expeditions. Thus is the right kind of man Nigeria desperately needs come 2023.
#WeCantContinueLikeThis
Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI.
