NIGERIA AND THE CHALLENGES OF LEADERSHIP ~ Akinola Rasheed | Rights Monitors

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WHEN WILL THE POOR MASSES STOP BEING TREATED LIKE SLAVES IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY?
In summary, the greatest need of Nigeria and Nigerians at this period of convulsive changes in the global environment where Covid-19 is ravaging the entire world with Nigeria amongst the worst hit on economic downturn, happens to be a leadership that has the consuming passion and compassion to build bridges across the peoples of Nigeria beyond ethnicities, cultures and religions. To the best of my knowledge as a resounding business development manager and economic growth and development projects wizardry ALLOWS me to know that it is not rocket science but just that Nigerian leaders are just being lazy upstairs.

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As daunting as the challenge of leadership may appears to everyone of the politicians in Nigeria, history teaches us that good leaders have emerged at critical points in different nation’s history. We shouldn’t forget that Otto Van Bismark did a lot of good governance for Germany, Ataturk did same quality leadership for Turkey and in more recent times, Deng Xiaping for China, Lee Kwuan Yew for Singapore, Mohamed Mahathir for Malaysia and Mandela for South Africa. What’s more about failed leadership in Nigeria and other African countries?

To the best of my understanding, leaders who have led successful transformation of their societies have been men and women of exceptional intelligence, knowledge and wisdom anchored on integrity, sensitivity and tenacity of purpose. They are people who have a clear sense of purpose with the uncanny ability to handle the organizational politics of their environment while managing processes to facilitate the desired outcome asides the CRUMPS of weak brains leading Nigeria and Nigerians since 1999 till date. As managers of processes these leaders I’m talking about have all enhanced capacity to resolve dilemmas, ethical issues and conflicts as well as to shift paradigms through creative thinking and applicable techniques of persuasion. They are masters in the management of creative tension.

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In a plural society such as Nigeria that each individual carries multiple identities which stir the deeper sensibilities and dynamics that shape human relationships: Surely, the boundaries that challenge leadership today are more psychological than structural or organizational. They involve the whole gamut of human relationships often associated with strong emotions: the presence or lack of trust, loyalty, respect, pride, common purpose, safety, security, threats and the small matter of ownership happens to be the reason why nothing is working in Nigeria for the common man on the street where POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT, HUNGERS, STARVATION, DEPRIVATION and SUFFERING is the order of the day in Nigeria as of today.

The crux of the matter happens to be the selection process for leadership in Nigeria, which is anchored not on the discovery of new/best brains, talents, capabilities and grooming people for service according to the national vision and the national code of values. The preponderance of what passes for leadership in Nigeria today is provided by the desperate political class: self-selected and self-perpetuating through an amoral and value depreciating network of god-fathers WHO KNOW THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING BUT THE VALUE OF NOTHING when it comes to good governance to the people.

Conclusively, the Nigeria’s problem is the unwillingness or let me say the inability of the leaders to rise to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership across the world. While the long term solution in Nigeria to the crisis that arise in a multi-ethnic state is for the various political parties, however many they may be to sit down and negotiate how they want to govern themselves and how they ultimately want to share resources and to decide whether they ultimately want to live together to serve the people judiciously and adequately. Not until the politicians begin that process of internal reconciliation at best Nigeria (will) lurch from crises to crises. I can vouch that Nigeria can change if she discovers leaders who have the will, genuine integrity, the ability and the vision.

As the late Albert Einstein observed “PROBLEMS” cannot be solved at the current level of consciousness that created them” Hence the inevitability of change. So where do we go from here?

Akinola Aniyikaye Rasheed is a nonpartisan idealist, deep thinker, economic wizardry and egghead’s creative brain blessed with the uncommon wisdom scarce amongst peers when it comes to political, economic and business development matters for himself and that of the concern citizens. Good morning everyone!