LETTER TO MY ANCESTOR Dear Laarosin, It is a beautiful day here. The sunrise almost getting to its peak with a great cyclonic weather. I sat on a five sitter chair in my beautiful but small sitting room thinking and analyzing the political situation of my town. I’m overwhelmed with the dangerous dimension our politics has taken and troubled with the consequence(s) this might bring. We are getting to the level we can tag survival of the fittest. The burden on my heart is so big that I have to pour on paper and share with someone. I decided to share my view and make my opinion known to you. The most pressing of all our troubles is the battle of who get the crown between three of your sons- ‘LATEJU, ‘LUWOLE and ‘LASUN. It is so intense; it has turned the entire community apart. ‘LATEJU is a great leader, a complete gentleman and a grassroots politician. He led us into victory during his reign as the chairman of our local government. Nobody has outrun his remarkable achievements since he left the office. He is honest, simple and easy going. I adore him. ‘LUWOLE is the brilliant grandson of Alabi. He is a medical practitioner of international standard. He travelled abroad and just came back with intimidating credentials. His achievements in foreign land reflect his inbuilt capacity to lead. Looking into his eyes you’ll see the burning desire to serve his people. I believe in his ability and I’m proud he’s from my town. ‘LASUN is the brave son of pa Amuda. He is currently holding the crown. He is a force to reckon with in the political structure of our state even our country at large. He is competent, rich, outspoken and brilliant. He is a successful politician in all practical purpose. He represents us at the city council but does not spend his weekends in the city. He must come home. No wonder some people call him “homeboy” One reason everyone respects him so much is his tremendous courage. His mission is clear and he is absolutely fearless. Perhaps he shares Henry Kissinger’s ideology that “a leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone” I like him so much because he does what is right, even at the risk of failure, in the face of great danger and under the brunt of relentless criticism. He is so courageous and his courage has great value: it gives his followers hope. Nevertheless he has more than necessary enemies. People that want him down at all cost. His offense? Well, I don’t know what he did wrong but I do know that he talks a lot by nature. And according to John Mason’s theory “if your lips would keep from slips; five things observe with care; to whom you speak, of whom you speak and how, and when, and where”. A.L Kietselman added “the words ‘I am’ are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. What you are claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you” I also agree with the bible “life and death are in the power of the tongue” I am not sure if his offense is linked to his loquacious nature. But above all odds, he stands tall and remains illustrious son of our community. We are blessed with great human resources. Everyday competent leaders are emerging. We never lack leaders rather we have trouble selecting from the pool of them. The question in the lips of many including our neighboring towns is that, with all these great men of valor, why is our development slow to grow? Or is our developments commensurate our strength? Your guess is as good as mine. We have made mistakes in the past. We are more political than patriotic. We find it difficult to differentiate politics from patriotism. The politics of hatred is the bane of our under-development. Patriotism is indispensable for development activities, to promote education, health care, transportation and infrastructure for attaining a reasonable standard of living and it is also critical factor for economy development. Due to lack of far extending means of picking leaders, we remain under-developed. Under such a crucial situation, we should rise in unity and take charge of our destiny. ‘Lateju,’Luwole and ‘Lasun are great men. They have brought joy into our community. They all have large followers and they are all competent. But we can only have one representative- someone who represents us at the city council. How and who we pick is the dangerous task before us all. And even more dangerous if we pick through the instrumentality of politics. We must be patriotic and scientific in our selection. Unlike other political positions, the constitution does not stipulate the maximum term of office for the legislators. One can contest and re-contest and re-contest as long as one enjoys his/her constituency support. Your influence as a legislator is a function of number of years you have spent in the chamber. Often times, first timers are tagged ‘bench warmers’. Of course, every member of the house is a legitimate legislator by constitution but in practical sense, first timers are greatly overpowered in respect to the in-house appointments. For instance, no first timer has ever been elected as the speaker or president of the senate as the case may be. The house leadership is reserved for those serving at least their second term. We have three great men jostling for the post of which two are going for the first time while one is seeking re-election. It is our collective responsibility to select who represent us and we must select the best. The best contestant is not necessarily the best man but someone who can give our community the maximum advantage we desire. We must consider the progress of our community above our personal gain or sentiment. Holding on to ‘first timer’ status will ultimately block our progress and reduce our influence both now and in the nearest future. I so submit. Finally, whether you are a follower who is just beginning to discover the impact of leadership or a natural leader who already has followers, you can become a better leader. Use your review as a learning experience. Yours faithfully
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:36:52 +0000
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