The air is thick with the sighs of the weary, and the ground trembles beneath the weight of troubled feet. Across Nigeria, from the bustling streets of Lagos to the quiet farmlands of Kogi, where the River Niger meets the Benue, from the Niger Delta’s oil-rich waters to the arid fields of the North, a single question whispers through the corridors of power and the chambers of the common man: Where is the venom of true leadership? The answer, like a pearl in an oyster, is wrapped in layers of history, betrayal, and unfulfilled promises.
A leader’s venom is not the poison that destroys but the antidote that heals. It is the fire that refines gold, the storm that clears the sky, the sword that cuts through deceit, and the voice that speaks when silence is betrayal. Nigeria, like a ship battered by storms, groans for a captain whose hands are steady on the wheel, whose eyes pierce through the fog, whose heart burns with the conviction to steer her to safety. But where is such a leader? Have we not wandered too long in a wilderness of words without action, of promises without fulfillment, of power without purpose?
Nelson Mandela once declared, “Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.” The tragedy of Nigeria is that leadership has become an inheritance rather than a responsibility. It is passed down like a family heirloom, from one political dynasty to another, rather than being earned in the crucible of service and selflessness. Leadership, in its truest sense, is not a throne to be occupied but a cross to be carried. Yet many seek the crown without the thorns, the power without the pain, the prestige without the price. The elders say a tree is known by its fruit, but what does one do when the orchard bears only the fruits of corruption, mediocrity, and self-interest?
Nigeria, like an elephant tied with a tiny rope, has been deceived into thinking she cannot break free. Her chains are not of iron but of minds conditioned to accept the unacceptable, to tolerate what should be intolerable. Poverty and the outbreak of cholera, for instance, are viewed as fate rather than failures of leadership. The silence of good people is a betrayal as loud as the thunder of oppressors. The book of Isaiah declares, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.” Nigeria mourns, not because she lacks leaders, but because leadership has become a transaction rather than a transformation.
A true leader is like an eagle soaring above the storm, not a parrot chattering in the marketplace. He is like the lion that walks in dignity, not the jackal that feeds on scraps. Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.” But where is responsibility in a land where leaders build mansions in foreign lands while their people sleep in hunger and darkness? Where is accountability in a nation where political offices are filled with men whose pockets are deeper than their principles?
Africa has seen leaders who were feared but not respected, those who ruled but did not lead, those who spoke but did not act. Nigeria stands at a crossroads, between the abyss of failure and the mountain of possibility. The future is not written in the stars but in the hands of those willing to bleed for change. The Bible reminds us that “To whom much is given, much is required,” yet those who sit in the halls of power forget that the burden of leadership is service, not self-indulgence.
The book of Ezekiel proclaims, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?” If leadership is corrupt, the nation follows. If leadership is weak, the people falter. If leadership is blind, the country stumbles. But when leadership is strong, righteous, and fearless, the people rise. Nigeria does not lack potential; she lacks leaders with the venom of justice, the sting of truth, the bite of integrity. The venom of a true leader is the strength to fight against injustice, the boldness to confront enemies within and without, the vision to see beyond the present, and the courage to act where others hesitate.
History speaks of men whose words ignited transformation, of women whose hands molded the foundations of greatness, of youths whose footsteps carved the path to a new dawn. True leadership is not found in the noise of rebellion but in the quiet strength of vision, in the courage to stand when others shrink, in the wisdom to build where others destroy. The world does not remember those who merely complained—it honors those who dared to lead with integrity, sacrifice, and an unshakable resolve to uplift others. A nation is not built on wishes but on the will of those who dare to lead differently. Leadership is not about how loud one’s voice is but how deep one’s impact runs. It is not about how long one stays in power but how much change one inspires. The storm that shakes a nation may be strong, but it is the leader’s venom that must be stronger.
A Yoruba proverb says, “The child who says his mother will not sleep must also prepare for a night without rest.” The cries of the oppressed will never go unheard. The prayers of the suffering will not return void. A time comes when even the walls whisper the truth, when the stones cry out, when the rivers refuse to flow in silence. A leader who ignores the heartbeat of his people is like a farmer who plants but refuses to water his crops. The harvest will tell the story.
True leadership is not found in comfort but in sacrifice. It is not in the gold of palaces but in the dust of the battlefield. It is not in the praise of men but in the judgment of history. A wise saying in England reminds us that “Cometh the hour, cometh the man.” But in Nigeria’s hour of need, who will rise? Who will bear the venom of truth, the venom of change, the venom of justice? Who will stand when others bow, speak when others whisper, act when others hesitate?
The Bible speaks of a time when men will cry out for justice, when the land will yearn for righteousness, when the people will thirst for true leadership. That time is now. What shall it profit our leaders to build empires of wealth, women, wine and leave behind a nation in ruins?
The venom of true leadership is the power to inspire without fear, to correct without favor, to stand without wavering. It is not a poison that destroys but a fire that purifies. It is not the wrath of oppression but the sword of justice. Nigeria is not doomed, but she waits. She watches. She hopes. The future is not a thing that happens; it is a thing that is made. And history is written not by those who watch from the sidelines but by those who dare to act.
Let the trumpet sound. Let the call be answered. Let the venom of true leadership rise, for the hour has come.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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