Our last collective journey to the past

SIR: The administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was our last collective journey to the past as a country. The battle between the government and the ordinary people was a battle for the survival of Nationhood, Leadership and Followership (NLF). Nigerian leaders have failed their followers. But leadership influences the followership and the followership engenders tranquility of the society and nationhood. The three (NLF) are intertwined but the buck of regulation of tranquility and organization of society rests squarely on the shoulders of leadership. Leadership strictly executes and adheres to all set of rules that govern the society. This is not the case with the Nigerian leadership.

In Nigeria, rather than place more emphasis on its entity as a contraption or “mere geographical expression”, our problems in my opinion is leadership rather than the followership. This should be our urgent focus. Hypothetically, imagine how America or Britain will look like in terms of law and order if there are no set of rules strictly being executed by all branches of government through leadership? It will be unmitigated chaos and disaster.

The unification of minds of ordinary Nigerians this time around will certainly steer Nigeria away from this famished road, and put the country on the new road to change and recovery. I have not in my lifetime witnessed in the history of elections in Nigeria where the incumbent was so rattled and intimidated by the collective power of the people. From the crannies of the north to south and to the east, it was a resounding and defeating clamour for change.

In spite of all the intimidating resources, lies and deceitful campaigns by the government, the wind of change is blowing across Nigeria. Power truly resides in the people. The unprecedented collective participation of the Nigerian people in the last general elections is a manifestation of the determined minds of the suffering people to effect change through ballots and not barrels of gun. And change is truly coming to Nigeria.

• Yahaya Balogun, Arizona, USA.