Many of the Nigerian Public Office holders are either there for their selfish reasons. While others were scripted or dragged-in to occupy positions they were never really prepared to handle, or understand what is expected of them as leaders…
This is part of the reasons why we often end up with politicians and public office holders who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to lead a people and address the challenges that come with it…
Leadership, especially in Government, is your ability to handle challenges while carrying out your responsibilities…
It is abnormal for Nigerian highly-paid Political leaders/Public Office holders to keep enjoying such huge salaries/bonuses/allowances and fringe benefits without being able to handle the pressure and challenges that come with their various offices…
Nigerian political leaders should always take constructive criticisms as Feedbacks – to build them to live up to their responsibilities, and not be viewed as something evil…
When the purpose of anything is not known or properly understood, ‘abuse’ is inevitable. That has been the root problem of Nigeria’s leadership development and advancement, specifically within the Public space of Government and its tentacles. The majority of Nigerian politicians who are in Government, or within Government Institutions, do not understand what it means to lead as Public Officers. While some of them are there for the wrong selfish reasons, others were scripted or dragged-in to occupy sensitive political leadership positions THEY WERE NEVER ‘PREPARED’ TO HANDLE, or even understand fully, how to carry out the responsibilities thrust on their shoulders.
At the end of the day, what we have in our hands over the years, are politicians and public office holders who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to lead a people and the challenges that come with it, and manage the enormous collective resources/wealth under their offices for the benefit of all, and eventually leave great legacies behind for generations to come. This has been the lacuna, the missing link/gap in Nigeria’s political governance and economic development and advancement.
Few months ago, I saw a video online of Dr. K.N. Jacob, whose narrative of what leadership is all about, is one that I think those in Nigeria’s public and private space, really need to learn from and adjust their ways.
According to Dr. K. N. Jacob: “On 15th of January, the year 2009, US Airways, Airbus A320214, at exactly 3:27pm left LaGuardia Airport, Queens Borough area in York City. About 3 minutes into the flight, it hit a flock of Canadian geese causing both engines to lose power. The passengers heard a loud bang in the engines, then fumes from the exhaust, then total silence. 57-year-old, Chesley Sullenberger, the Captain commanding that aircraft resorted to an emergency, but safe landing or gliding of the plane into the Hudson City. In about 6 minutes later, the plane landed in the Hudson Airport.
“The Captain Calmly opened the cockpit door, and gave evacuation order. And the crew went and guided the passengers, on how to evacuate the plane. All of them, 155 passengers on board, survived. Including one on a wheel chair. Two of them, required overnight hospitalization. But none of them sustained major injuries. Later on, they were interviewed and this is what they said, WHAT KEPT THEIR SANITY, WAS THE COMPOSURE OF THE CAPTAIN. The National Transportation Authority Board later, awarded the entire crew what they call the Masters Medal of the Pilots and Air Navigators Guild. And then, this is now a feat popularly known as the “miracle of the Hudson.” Chances are high as many of you have heard or read about it. But I’ve thought about it later on, it dawned on me how many lives we lose on our roads, or even behind the wheel of life. Just Because a leader lost his composure. I want to suggest tonight, a leader must never allow his cool under pressure. In fact, LEADERSHIP IS YOUR ABILITY TO HANDLE CHALLENGES. Often than not, I hear people say I can’t take it anymore. What you don’t realize you’re saying is that you don’t want leadership. Even from a corporate organization perspective. When you’re being promoted from one level to another and paid much more than the others, YOU’RE PAID TO DEAL WITH HIGHER CHALLENGES. THEY ACTUALLY PAY YOU FOR MORE COMPLICATED PROBLEMS. And the moment you say you don’t want problems, basically what you’re saying, you don’t want promotion. Because promotion is a factor in your ability to handle pain.
“There is no leadership without challenges. Every leader must be able to deal with the turbulences of the commoners, and the storms of the mighty. And, the reality is, sometimes in leadership, you’ll be analyzed and scandalized by the people you serve, you’ll get a backlash from the people you poured your life to them. But you must never stoop low to their level. There are times I post articles on FB (Facebook), over 90% I get nice compliments. But almost every time I post, I get someone who is very upset with our message. And I always say you know; YOU NEED TO TREAT CRITICISM AS FEEDBACK. I know for a fact, if someone has been living in the dark for too long, and you switch on the light, immediately, the eyes hurt.”
Today, our Nigerian politicians and law makers are practically amongst the highest paid public officials in the world, far and above their counterparts in most developed countries like the United States(US) and United Kingdom(UK). But rather than them measure-up to meet with the challenges and problems in the country, they would rather keep enjoying the huge pay and the fringe benefits of their office, without being able to address the challenges and problems in the country. They even create more problems and complicate things further to the detriment of the common man, but to the benefit of the few in the public space.
They fail to realize that if you aspire to be in the public space, or you desire to rise within the public space and the private sector, then you must be ready as well to embrace challenges, and own-up to the huge responsibilities, demands and expectations that come with it. This is because the higher you go, be it the public or private sector, the higher the responsibilities and the challenges you have, and you should be ready to face and address them. But I am surprised that some politicians and top management staff of corporate organizations today, will say that they are overwhelmed by their official responsibilities.
I have once told a former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to resign from office when he told me that I bother him with my text messages and phone calls bothering on the issues/problems in the oil and gas sector, and that he is too busy to read/answer phone calls. I told him to resign if he is not ready to perform as demanded by his office, and that there are many Nigerians out there who could do his job far better than himself, and who are more qualified than himself. I also told him that he apparently lobbied to be appointed as the GMD of NNPC. If not, he should have rejected the offer of appointment as GMD of NNPC since he was not ready to handle it. But once he was there as GMD of the NNPC, I told him that I will continue to text/call/write him as far as he remains in that public office. And when he is no longer there, I will stop bothering him with text/calls.
A close friend of mine once told me, “Zik Gbemre, do you know you are writing about things people don’t like one bit because your views are unpopular, and I have seen that you don’t have followers, so stop writing to criticize governments and politicians.” I simply told him not to bother about who likes, and who doesn’t like my criticisms. And that I am not writing to be praised and commended by people, or get recognition of any kind from anyone because I am not a clown and an entertainer. So, no matter what he says, or what anyone else thinks, I will continue to say things the way they are, no matter who and what is involved. The Nigerian politicians are usually pained whenever you criticize them. Some politicians and public office holders are worse than others when it comes to embracing and handling criticisms. But someone has to do the unpleasant job of criticism. The criticism is to build them to live up to their responsibilities. So, they should always take it as ‘feedbacks.’
This is what every public office holder in Nigeria’s Government space across all levels, must bear in mind. That they should not only be interested in the fat salaries/allowances/office privileges/fringe benefits of their public office. But they should live up to their office responsibilities in addressing the challenges before them in the Nigerian society. When politicians complain of being too busy to listen or to read their messages, or receive their calls, I just laugh at them as ignorant politicians/public office holders who clearly do not understand the demands of their office. No person placed a gun on their heads to seek to contest to be elected in Government or the legislature at all levels, or be appointed in any public office as well. So, once they are there, they should also be prepared to face the responsibilities and challenges that come with being there. And if they cannot handle the pressure, they should simply quit and save everyone the headache.
It is necessary for the political leaders and other public office holders in Nigeria, from the Presidency down to the State and Local Government levels, including the National and State Assemblies, to realize that as custodians of the public wealth and resources of this nation, their action, inaction and even body language towards national issues, have the potency and propensity to decide and shape the socio-economic, political and developmental future of Nigeria and its citizenry. Therefore, they need to realize this fact and the huge responsibilities upon their shoulders, and the ‘expectations’ the masses have on them – as they carry about their statutory duties/responsibilities in their various positions in Government. That means, whatever we see wrong today in our society, these political leaders are to take the bulk of the blame. And as such, there is a need for them, starting with The President down to the Local Government Council Chairman, to start seeing leadership from this perspective and realize that they really have to start doing things differently, if we are to see any significant progress and desired changes in our polity.
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