Nigeria Searches for Greater Leaders
A Greater Leader, Who Can Find?
By Joseph Ibekwe
A great leader is not the one who is flawless and faultless. It’s the one that listens to truth and adjusts to accommodate truth, even when the truth punctures his/her ego.
A great leader is not the one that denies public reality, because it does not fit into his/her private reality. It is the one who identifies with public reality.
A great leader is not the one who is inflexible in opinion and impervious to the pains and feelings of others. It’s the one who accommodates new perspectives and responds to the pains of others by deliberately taking steps to remove source of the pain.
A great leader is not the one who goes to a great extent to fortify his/her personal security, but allows his/her people to live in porous security situation.
A great leader is one that values loyalty, but does not put loyalty above competence in the assignment of public responsibility.
A great leader, who can find? Nations are in search of great leaders. Great leaders emerge in times of crises and difficulty.
Nigeria needs great leaders in such a time of crises as has never been experienced before, not even during civil war time. If you are part of those in search of great leaders for Nigeria, going forward, you must become blind to two things: ethnicity and religion. You must focus your eyes on three things: character, competence and experience.
Ask questions of those who seek to lead you, going forward. Ask about their character – their attitude to public funds, public issues, family life.
Ask about their competence – ability to deal with development issues without prejudice; ability to see the whole country as a single Constituency, not preferring one over others; ability to listen to divergent views without getting petty and vengeful; ability to mobilize multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious team of technocrats and professionals to address national development issues.
Ask about their experience- what have they done before in their private life and businesses? What have they done before in public service? What problems have they solved before? How did they solve such problems? How did they managed public resources once entrusted in their care?
If they did well in those areas before, they are like to do better next time. If they didn’t do well in those areas before, they are likely to do worse next time. Nothing stays the same! Leaders don’t develop good character in Public office or old age, they only amplify good character later in life and public service.
Nigeria is in desperate search for great leaders. You must be part of that search. You have now received a searchlight to enable you get out and scan those showing up for public office at different levels, particularly those seeking to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A greater leader, who find? It’s your time to find one!
(C)Joseph C.Ibekwe
President/CEO
FLED Institute, Abuja
Tel/whatsapp:+2347080157176
01/04/2022
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