In search of a good leader

Over five decades of independence and a great country like ours, Nigeria, is still in search of a great leader to call her own. A leader who will be a guiding light, a leader who will be a beacon of hope to about 186 million people; A leader, who will set us free from economic captivity; a leader who would free us from injustices and bigotry. A leader, who will rescue us from the ocean of poverty we are drowning in. Though independent, we are crippled and entangled in paucity, right in the midst of surplus.

When we gained independence, we signed an accord of togetherness – entered into a union of hope, that each region will be guaranteed equitable distribution of resources. Today, a defaulting is clear; instead of honoring this accord, her citizens now have a wide gap of imbalanced revenue distribution.

It is time for a good leader to emerge; one who recognises the value of this era and times; one who would act accordingly. A leader, whose first priority will be to restore decaying values. A leader who will speak the truth, even though it is uncomfortable – a leader with courage.

A leader who will understand that oil deposit is diminishing and there are other opportunities for our country. A leader who knows that though taxes are rising, our ability to pay has fallen. A leader, who will stand above religion and any attachment to specific-negative agenda. A leader, who moves beyond egoistic and personal agenda and works with the intent of good governance – a focused, disciplined and attentive leader.

We are not cowards. We need a good leader, who will take action as situation demands it. A leader in the mold of George Washington, who was unanimously elected president by the Electoral College; widely admired for his strong leadership qualities. He oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that maintained neutrality in the French Revolutionary Wars, suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion, and won acceptance among all Americans.

A leader like Mahatma Gandhi, who led India and fought against the tyrannical rule of the country’s colonial masters. He fought silently and practiced ahimsa (non-violence). He believed that truth and only truth shall prevail; and without harming a single soul, he got freedom for India.

A great leader, like former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill , who during the WWII showed his true worth in the face of adversity. Like Franklin Roosevelt, the American statesmen and a political leader, who helped America during The Great Depression. A leader like Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of USA, who led his country in its bad times seeing it through the U.S. Civil War and went all out to keep the country together.

A leader like our African legend, Nelson Mandela, who was the face of the anti-apartheid movement. He relentlessly fought against racial discrimination, served a 27 year-long prison sentence but even that did not deter him. He came out a hero and led the country into freedom.

We need a leader, who will write his name on the sands of time. Our national pledge reads:
…..To be faithful, loyal, and honest
To serve Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her unity
And uphold her honor and glory
So help me God.

If our country is to be great, we must live up to the pledge and see the emergence of that great leader we have all been clamoring for. From the north to the south, west and east, all we want is a good leader. From where will this groundbreaker come? Right from among us, a good leader can emerge to take up that exalted position, only if we allow our moral instincts rather than tribal sentiments to guide us.

Those who sow the wind will inevitably reap the whirlwind. The whirlwind will continue to pursue them until justice prevails. The aristocrats would prefer to have a leader, who favors them as the elites. But our country is not for a select few. Our country is for everyone. We need a leader, who can change the status quo, a truly democratic leader – to lead a ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people.’
Anjorin lives in Lagos.