DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP FROM AN ELEMENTARY STANDPOINT. In my elementary mind, leadership is a partnership agreement between citizens and leaders. For such an agreement to successfully flourish and become enforceable there must be offer, acceptance, consideration and actual performance. Translating this in Nigerian political terms, when a politician puts himself forward for an elective position with a promise to serve, he has made an offer to the citizens.When citizens believe and give him their votes, they have accepted his offer with the understanding that he will serve them not himself. When the politician takes his oath of office to serve the people, we can consider that to be the consideration which he pays to have that job (for want of a better consideration). In order for the partnership to work, both parties must perform their respective parts of the agreement. The people must remain the watchful hawk monitoring and evaluating the performance of the politician. The politician must work diligently hard in order to justify the mandate given to him by voters. Failure of either side to discharge their duties under the partnership means that the aggrieved party has the right to enforce the breach against the party in default. Where however the aggrieved party fails to enforce his rights, the condition to serve becomes academic and makes no meaning to the party in default who has the right to believe that the other party is happy with the lack of or inadequate performance. The lack of adequate or no performance at all by Nigerian politicians and failure of Nigerians to demand their rights is the fatal blow to the contract of democracy in Nigeria. Such failure and usual bizarre defense of the most indefensible conduct of politicians by sycophantic citizens fuel the rapidly growing incidences of corruption, impunity and uncontrollable violence. Our leaders will never stop abusing us and powers we have given to them unless we stop them. Therefore the constant noise about our desperate desire for change is mere illusion or façade of knowledge of our rights and can never materialise until we begin to tell ourselves the truth and learn to hold our leaders accountable regardless of what tribe or religion the belong to. Constantly snipping at ourselves instead of out rightly condemning what is wrong in every respect, accepting our individual or collective mistakes and finding a cohesive way forward remains a challenge for many of us. We want change but we are not ready. It will therefore continue to elude us. Have a great weekend. I am partying all weekend.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 09:36:54 +0000
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