Leadership is NOT about a tittle, designation or coronation. It is about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting result, influence is about spreading the passion a leader has to address the primary needs of the people. By this means, good citizen or Samaritan will be inspired to invest in your leadership to advance a course. Leadership is not what it takes to shape opinion or bribe your way to remain at the helms of affairs. It is what you need to effect positive and lasting change.
The destiny of Kogi State can only be decided by the powerful influence of the combined voice of the people themselves. It is not something a self-acclaimed powerful leader, a benevolent dictator to the core can achieve. Leadership is about influence; the good book, Holy Bible said “whoever want to be the great must be a servant”. This is an illusion of reality in Kogi State. It is not about how many followers you have, it is about how many you motivate, inspire and help as a daily routine, even before emerging as a leader.
A leader whose charity or benevolence has no precedent perhaps from childhood shouldn’t be entrusted with a highly exalted position like office of the governor.Great achievement is born of great sacrifice. It is never the result of selfishness and political pilfering. Imagine Ambassador Tony Ogah, the great advocate and sponsor of WHO YOU HELP? Project could not find sustainable help in the present administration. He was hoodwinked among avalanches of ebullient Kogi desperate Youth into producing posters for the office of the governor without receiving the money to purchase Expression of Interest and Nomination Form from their sponsors. The essence of governance is to represent the heart of God Almighty in restraining sin, change failure to extraordinary achievement mostly without money but positive influence.
May we NOT make the mistake to select leaders through godfatherism, endorse without primaries which is a serious point at issues. May we NOT elect through the conscience or voice of the people, a leader whose track record of achievements in material developments supersede human development. May we not elect a leader who wants to be adored by churches, mosque, elders of the land for fear of being disempowered, dehumanised or abuse. May we not experience a leader whose curses are more than his or her blessings. And may we not come across a leader whose self acclaimed achievement disappears into thin air at the expiration of his or her tenure.
The fashion and lifestyles of a mentally normal political leader and the masses is like that of a husband and wife. The most brilliant achievement of a man is the ability to persuade his wife to marry him. Similarly, no political leader can ever get it right , achieve and feel accomplished by becoming anti-people. No amount of self praise , encomiums on oneself can wash you clean for a “ tiger does not proclaim its tigeritude”.
The greatest achievements of a genuine political leader is the recognition of his or her dysfunction, unresolved feelings in the discharge of an assigned task. The initiative of pursuing opposition into abyss of despair is demonic.The idea of recalling a sitting senator or lawmaker out of a mismanaged emotion relying on tax payers coffer is preposterous. Till today, there is no police report on the attack launched on a lawmaker at Hallowed Chamber of the 6th Kogi State House of Assembly who narrowly escaped death naked let alone to talk about payment of his entitlement as ordered by the supreme court.
The concept of importing over four hundred (400) luxury cars from Ford or Toyota company for security etc without signing a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to establish in Kogi State with their expertise, technical know-how or manufacturing plant at least to repair every spoilt tyre or nut of the cars is a show of shame on the part of government. Because such initiative will generate revenue and provide employment for the jobless youth, our professionals in that field will be trained and retrained to take over the business in the nearest guaranteed future.
The aim of Staff Verification Exercise initiated by the Yahaya Bello APC led government is defeated. It does not translate to the much needed sanity and corruption free civil service planned for. A large chunk of Kogites were thrown into abject penury, disease or death owing to lack of palliative measures to cushion the devastating blow of retrenchment. Worse still government policies are carried out by fiat without a comprehensive consultation or orientation of the masses. It behoves my mind, why we have Mass Mobilisation Agency (MAMSA) in the past or National Orientation Agency (NOA) now?.
Kogites, let’s have a rethink now and in the forthcoming election. Our focus should not be on praise songs WHO YOU HELP? For such songs cannot withstand the heat of modern days political kitchen. Our focus too should be on the articulate testimony of conscience of people about a particular leader’s record of achievements, human, physical and infrastructural development rather than self praise. We should concentrate seriously on the mental wellness of an aspiring leader, antecedent from childhood and the potential to offer a purposeful leadership, solve problems with warmth and safety. Enough of racketeering politician and charlatans at the corridors of power who cannot separate activity from achievement. I am annoyed!
– Inah Stephen wrote from Ajaka, Kogi state.
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