Date Published: 12/21/09

Where are the Leaders in Nigeria? By Owunari Hopkins-Amachree

All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.  
- John Kenneth Galbraith, U.S. economist, "The Age of Uncertainty"

More than anything today, our country is in serious need of leaders to confront the challenges, problems and issues that touch the very heart of our Nigerian-ness. It is unfortunate the elites who are benefitting from the system continue to live under the illusion that they are safe, secured and well to do financially, socially and security wise. Unfortunately the bitter truth is that even the elites and big men/big women are more vulnerable today than the poor main street Nigerians who have for years bear the brunt of maladministration and bad leadership and left far behind.

I am wondering if the leadership understands the enormity of the problem confronting our citizens. Does our leadership understand the urgency of now?

Do they know that every day they have wasted not making decision on fixing the educational system we and our kids are queuing far behind more than 500 million people all over the world?

Do they know that everyday delayed in not making decision to fix our roads, we loose one soul of our citizens? Just this past weekend 55 and 12 fellow Nigerians died in Kogi and kano state respectively– Lord receive their soul.

Do the leaders understand that any day a community did not have clean water to drink and use we loose a thousand people to water borne disease?

Do our leaders realize that any day we failed to make decision to fix our health system we loose about 150 kids to malaria and other preventable disease?

Do they know that their inaction about health system have made our life expectancy as low as 45 years for women and 43years for men?

Do they know that the indecision and inaction about our health system claims 144 women death in child birth related complications?

Do they know that any day that is lost not taking decision on fixing our petroleum industry we loose more than 5000 work force to other countries?

 Do they realize that every day there is no electric power we loose more than 6000 jobs to other countries? Do they know the total capital flight and lost caused by lack of efficient power?

The questions and problems are legion, they are complex, but the solutions are not rocket science, it is common sense and simple solution. If our leadership decides today the problem of electricity will be over, it will. If they decide that the roads will be fixed, it will. If they say today bribery and corruption will stop, it will and if they say NITEL, health systems and educational system will work it will, it only needs the will of the leaders to lead by example.

The message to bring every one on board is to set far reaching example and goals, throw people that is meant to be in prison to be prison –rich, poor, well connected, police, civil servant, governor etc put square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. The leadership should look straight in the eye of the thieves especially the big thieves who parade themselves as political big wigs and tell them unequivocally that their time is up, it is time to pay for their deeds. Demand for a refund of all they have stolen and pursue same to any country. Appointment of public officers must be merited and those appointed who fail to deliver must be shown the way out with dispatch.

When the President declares zero tolerance to corruption, it should be so no matter who is involved. The message should be clear, firm, and unambiguous and the actions against those who go against it must be met with the full weight of the law, far reaching, open and swift. The main street Nigerian people will no doubt work for that leader, all they need to know is that he can be trusted and relied upon, that his or her word is his or her bond. When Lewis H. Lapham said that “Leadership consists not in degrees of technique but in traits of character; it requires moral rather than athletic or intellectual effort, and it imposes on both leader and follower alike the burdens of self-restraint.”, he was referring pointedly to situations like ours where leadership is more of tic and tack, lies, deceit, political and financial survival than absolute moral and constitutional obligation to do all that is necessary to make a country work. 

Leadership in today's world requires far more than a large stock of gunboats and a hard fist at the conference table. - Hubert H. Humphrey – these words is addressed to rogues like Chief Ogbulafor and co who want to rule Nigeria for the next 60 years with money stolen from the Nigerian people, use it to rig election and deprive Nigerians their right to choose their leader via thuggery, intimidation and any means necessary. These are very trying times for the Nigerian people especially the main street Nigerians. The anxiety of the people is understandable, obvious, and heart wrenching. At these critical periods that we need our electricity to be highly available, our roads, health system, education, employment, infrastructure to be fixed and rebuilt, we have our government especially the presidencies have completely come aground.

The Nigeria ship presently is at rough and turbulent sea with no captain and no compass for direction. Nigerians are like sheep without shepherd and no leader have come out to vigorously pursue an alternative that conforms to the constitution of Nigeria. Instead the leadership is dodging the responsibility to say and do the right thing for political survival and advancement. No one is pushing through the choice of the Nigerian people.

There is the absolute need to ensure that our law makers representing us raise their voices and speak up and hearken to the voices of their constituency. For us the members of the constituency we must sent forward our needs, position and aspirations to our representatives, if the refuse to here us, let as members of the constituent start a recall process to force them to act in the right manner. The President must hand over to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as enshrined in the constitution as soon as possible.

Our leaders and representatives can not be saying one thing in private and saying different thing in public on the implication of the health of President Yar’Adua and the resultant absence from duty. There must not be a continues vacuum in our leadership as it is right now and the assumed elected members must not shy away from their responsibility to discuss it. They must speak out forcefully, there must not be anything like “Sidon look” or on the fence, and they must show their constituency where they stand on the absence of President Yar’Adua and his health.

It is time like this that leaders step up to the plate and take a collective action that is selfless and courageous to bring back this beautiful country that has abundant of everything –human and material resources from the brink. Our leaders and elected representatives must act now within the confines of the law of the land without further delay, and fear and bring the uncertainty as a result of President Yar’Adua’s ill health that has enveloped our nation for the past several weeks to certainty and normalcy. Let those in the know especially the wife of the President and his kitchen cabinet, come forward and make Nigerians know the true condition of Mr. President so as to facilitate collective effort and action to fill up the vacuum that exists in the nations seat of power. If not we will be heading towards a failed state, and 140 million people in a failed state will be catastrophic and will pose a serious challenge not only to Africa but to the world to contain. There is no place for the option of do-nothing; it is time for action that put the public interest first than personal ambition and interest.

The question here is where are the leaders that will take the bull by the horn, confront the cabals that have held and continue to hold our country hostage and do the right thing collectively to rescue the nation from the precipice? There is an African adage that says that "Smooth seas do not make a skillful sailor."  In essence, great leaders step up in times of enormous challenges and rough periods of every nation’s history. Those Nigerian leaders must come forward, step up to the challenges and speak up now or remain silent forever.

Hopkins –Amachree is an Information Technology professional and sent in this piece from San Francisco.