By: Ademola Orunbon<\/p>\n
Accountability, leadership and transformation are inexorably linked.
\nAccountability is an acute and overt manifestation of leadership.
\nLeadership involves accepting and acting on the accountabilities of the
\nposition. Transformation will not occur without leadership. One of the
\nfirst aspects of a business that needs to be transformed is
\naccountability. Among the strongest evidence that a business is
\ntransforming is that the executives, managers and employees have a new
\nrelationship to accountability, and this new relationship to
\naccountability is manifested in the performance of the business,
\nrelationships with stakeholders, and service provided to customers.<\/p>\n
The term \u2018accountability\u2019 means \u201cThe quality of being accountable;
\nliability to give an account of, and answer for, discharge of duties or
\nconduct; responsible, amenableness.\u201d I want to highlight the quality
\nof being accountable since it provides a valuable insight into how
\nleadership accountability is developed. Development begins with
\ncommitments which shape the person\u2019s being. That is, if one wants to
\ndevelop leadership accountability one begins with a strong commitment to
\nbeing accountable. This commitment in turn shapes the context for the
\nleader so that opportunities to develop occur clearly and with
\nopportunities for action. Developing leadership accountability happens
\nwhen the person acts on commitments to be accountable.<\/p>\n
Ever since human beings started gathering together in couples, families,
\ntribes, clans or nations, there have been leaders \u2013 someone whom
\neverybody looked to for direction in terms of what the group should do.
\nOver the centuries, there have been good and bad leaders. Good leaders
\nhave allowed themselves to be held accountable for their actions as they
\nhave led their people to a more secure, better reality, and bad leaders
\nhave refused to be held accountable as they have led themselves to a
\nmore secure and better reality at the expense of the people they led.
\nIt\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n
Right now, the world is experiencing the biggest leadership crisis it
\nhas ever had. That doesn\u2019t mean today\u2019s leaders are necessarily
\nworse than their predecessors but, because the world is now more
\nconnected than it ever was, the impact they have beyond their own
\nborders is significant. For example, previous leaders never had access
\nto the tools that today\u2019s leaders have which give them the capacity to
\ninfluence views and events around the globe. Such tools give today\u2019s
\nleaders a bigger voice than they possibly deserve. Imagine if Donald
\nTrump never had Twitter \u2026<\/p>\n
It is hugely ironic that, as the world has evolved to a collective
\nconsciousness that has set the stage for collaborative leadership and
\nleadership with a higher purpose, some of the leaders that currently
\ndominate the headlines \u2013 Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and
\nour own Muhammadu Buhari \u2013 display none of the characteristics or
\nqualities of this new generation of leader that the world so desperately
\nneeds right now. These leaders share one thing in common \u2013 regardless
\nof what they say, they are in it for themselves first and they avoid
\nholding themselves accountable to the people they are supposed to be
\nleading. Some of them may say they do, but they don\u2019t. They do what
\nsuits them and not what\u2019s in the interests of the greater good of
\ntheir people.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Nigerians can no longer hold their emotions, as President
\nMuhammadu Buhari increased the fuel price and electricity tariff to N162
\nand N66 respectively within a week. For the fact that Nigerians are now
\ncoming out of the lockdown, they really need stimulus, not an impetuous
\ndisregard for the challenges they face. In fact, many Nigerians have not
\nearned an income for months, due to no fault of theirs. This increase is
\nill-timed and ill-advised; it is also a travesty, as it would have a
\nknock-on effect on millions of poor Nigerians who will struggle to meet
\nthe increased costs of transport and basic goods. The development will
\neventually lead to increase in prices of goods produced by
\nmanufacturers, which will automatically result in an increase in
\ninflation.<\/p>\n
Now, what happens when the person at the head of a country, community or
\ncompany doesn\u2019t hold him or herself accountable? It will take a little
\nwhile, but soon those they are leading also start refusing to be held
\naccountable for their actions. Now that presents a problem. You can\u2019t
\nexpect accountability from anyone else until you are prepared to hold
\nyourself accountable for your own actions, inactions, deeds and
\nstatements. This applies to our work and our family life. If you are not
\nprepared to be accountable at work, you are not going to be able to hold
\nyour staff accountable.<\/p>\n
At least, if you are not prepared to be accountable for your actions in
\nyour home, you are not going to be able to hold your children
\naccountable for their actions. You may be able to pull rank simply
\nbecause of your position, but you have no moral authority and will get
\ngrudging respect to your face while you are despised behind your back.
\nAnd your children will grow up with damaged values. Leaders, managers
\nand parents have failed to understand this most basic principle of
\naccountability. Accountability all starts with you. You can\u2019t think it
\nshould apply to others but not you \u2013 that you are somehow exempt from
\nbeing held accountable. Sure, it\u2019s frustrating to see political
\nleaders get away with theft, but they do so because the people they lead
\ndon\u2019t hold them accountable.<\/p>\n
Despite PMB’s electoral promise to reduce petrol pump price from N87 per
\nlitre that he met it in 2015, Buhari\u00a0 had increased the price thrice
\nwithin three months in recent times, now to N162, and with this
\nincrement, PMB has further impoverished Nigerians instead of him to
\nameliorate the suffering after a long time of lockdown for the fear of
\nCovid-19. Nigerians should be reminded that on April 14, 2015, President
\nBuhari\u2019s ally and former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, late Prof.
\nTam David-West, told Nigerians that PMB (who was then President-elect),
\nwill reduce the fuel pump price from N87 to N40 per litre. In fact,
\nBuhari did not debunk this statement made by his friend and major
\nsupporter then. Look at all these promises made then, whose to be held
\naccountable to this misleading statement?<\/p>\n
More Nigerians from all walks of life have continued to condemn the
\nrecent increase in the pump price of fuel, the angry consumers have
\nargued that the increase came at a time that was least expected, while
\nslamming the Federal Government, they described the move as insensitive
\nand anti-people. Their take was that by increasing the price of fuel at
\na time Nigerians are grappling with the economic and social reality of
\nthe Covid-19 pandemic, it was nothing but to further traumatize them.
\nWhat a country? Nigeria. It is glaring that the masses are suffering,
\nand from all predictions from experts, deeper poverty looms. With all
\nthese happening, the government has only succeeded in impoverishing the
\ncommon man on the street.<\/p>\n
Before Covid-19, a litre of petrol was sold at N145; now the price has
\nrisen to N162. Already taking severe beating from the economic fallout
\nof the pandemic, many Nigerians have been dealt with an additional blow
\nby the petrol pump price hike. Indeed, the chickens have come home to
\nroost. Our country has relied heavily on imported petroleum products for
\nmany years, despite being Africa’s biggest oil producer and exporter.
\nSuccessive governments have failed miserably to fix our refineries, with
\nfuel imports gobbling up billions of taxpayers’ money. It’s bad enough
\nthat the government removed petrol subsidy at this time without putting
\nin place palliative measures to cushion the impact and effect of price
\nhike on long-suffering Nigerians.<\/p>\n
Imagine, in space of three months, the pump price of fuel has been
\nincreased three time, those people that protested when the fuel was
\nincreased to N97 by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-led administration which was
\nreversed to N87 per litre then are no where to be found now, let me ask
\na question! Where are our activists, our protesters, those Unions and
\nthose mobilizers that converged at the Gani Fawahinmi park in Ojota
\nthen? In fact, I guessed that, Nigerians are too dazed to say a word.
\nIt’s almost as if they have been hypnotized, or what do we called the
\nsudden change of the heart of our so-called nationalists and civil
\nliberty organizations and activists.<\/p>\n
Circumstances currently playing themselves out in Nigeria right now will
\nprovide a case study of how not to do things. It will probably take a
\nlot more time than most good, upstanding citizens would like it to take,
\nbut we need to hold our leaders accountable when they refuse to do so of
\ntheir own accord. Things would be much different then. Instead of
\nallowing the behaviour of current bad leaders in the world or in our
\ncountry to cause you to become discouraged, rather allow them to inspire
\nyou to not be anything like them. Use their examples as an example of
\nhow NOT to do things and make sure you bring about change for the better
\nfor all around you.<\/p>\n
I urge you not to sink to the levels of small minded leaders in it for
\nthemselves but to join me in demonstrating greatness as you lead others.<\/p>\n
Orunbon, a journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Federal
\nHousing Estate, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State.<\/p>\n