NIGERIA AND VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP

NIGERIA AND VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP

Nigeria and values-based leadership

By Gbenga Kayode

Leadership is an issue that affects all of humanity. But, visionary and true leaders are hard to find. Not only are we impacted by this phenomenon, but we are also called upon to exercise it. Whether we are involved in leading government or business, guiding young minds, leading a family, a sports team or a committee, organising a dinner, a class project, a carpool or a household, or just standing for what is right at every turn of human endeavour -everyone has a leadership role to play. In other words, we are each called upon to be custodians of what is right and good, lasting and of value, for those in our care at one time or another.

It’s as a result of an obvious lacuna in worthy, responsible leadership in many economies of the world that these posers were thrown up not long ago: “Whatever happened to leadership? Have all the great leaders gone from the world scene?” The search for true, values-based leadership is not limited to the global arena, but also relevant in the task of socio-political, cultural, educational, and moral transformation of developing economies such as Nigeria’s.

And, why does a true leader need to demonstrate values in leadership? Values are regarded as esteemed qualities which are intrinsically desirable and have importance. That is why experts in the humanities have described values as “our very core, the especial essence of who we are as human beings.” Such demonstrable and authentic values on which the Nigerian society should be built upon include transparency, patriotism, personal integrity, fear of God, courage, transformational leadership, accountability, vision, creativity, knowledge, character and passion.

Leadership also, has been described as a form of service. In order to lead effectively, a leader then, should be willing to meet the needs of the individuals in the team or group. It would be recalled the time it noticed the perceptible inadequacy in the leadership of some economies in Europe, London Sunday Times published an article with the title, “Whatever Happened to Real Leaders?”

In a write-up, the reading public was asked series of probing questions as these: “Would you expect to learn anything from them (leaders)? Do you expect them to do anything inspiring or creative, or even just the right thing? We have reached a real low point in leadership, lower than at any other time in recent history….”

The fact not only applies in the Western world where the people combat leadership problems of recent, it also applicable to the Nigerian situation, as the reputed most populous Black nation on earth needs is values-based, visionary leadership. It’s a powerful, well-timed plea for the emergence of a right kind of leadership that can deliver Nigerians from the grip of its many socio-economic problems resulting from poor governance or maladministration.

While underscoring the need for anyone entrusted with the sacrosanct mandate of leadership in any human community, Walter Lippmann, a late American newspaper commentator, in his syndicated column “Today and Tomorrow”, yet had attempted another description of leaders as “the custodians of a nation’s ideals, of the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals.”

According to Lippmann, the word literally, refers to a keeper, a guardian or a caretaker, as it is a proactive word which implies action on the part of the bearer. That is, custodians of the people’s mandate simply hold such in trust on behalf of others. In other words, custodianship does not imply behaviour motivated out of self-interest, the unbecoming development which Nigerians daily witness in various aspects of their national life.

Today, it’s no longer news in the country to see the mass media of communication inundated with scandalous and disturbing stories of reckless inflation of contract sums, disappearance of phoney contractors after collecting mobilisation funds, or oftentimes all of the contract sum; blind looting of treasuries with impunity, brigandage, culture of wastage, outright lack of vision on the part the leadership, endless dashed hopes, and lack of creativity in statecraft, and instances of shoddy cum white elephant projects with no material relevance to the aspirations of the populace.

As if the ostensibly invasive light-fingered approach being adopted by many of the leaders at different levels of governance is not enough, a new dimension of course, has been introduced to consolidate the conspiratorial pillaging of the nation’s collective wealth. It’s simply overwhelming these days, as Nigerians helplessly, continue to hear or read about horrifying tales of financial malfeasance, under various guises, and obvious looting of the treasury being reported in the media. This is purportedly being committed by both appointed and elected leadership in active connivance with the largely inefficient civil servants; shameless and forceful collection of toll from transporters and/ or motorists by men and officers of the Nigeria Police on the nation’s roads; absolute diversions of statutory allocations originally budgeted for developmental projects and programmes, into private accounts for personal use by corrupt leaders.

Although theirs is not a perfect system, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria during late Gen. Sani Abacha regime, Mr. Walter Carrington, at a seminar in Lagos recently, made a comparative analysis of the sustained purposeless leadership afflicting Nigeria with what obtains in the United States (US) in connection with values-based leadership. Carrington, specifically, mentioned the progressive strides the US has been recording over time to the extent that “racism and nepotism” were fast disappearing in America, thereby paving way for an African-American (obviously referring to Barack Obama) to win the support of the majority of the Americans to occupy The White House, the official seat of US Government in Washington D.C. According to him, instead of making distinct progress, the loss of a value system in Nigeria has made corruption, concept of “indigeneship”, vandalism and political thuggery to remain prominent in the country’s body politic.

It’s not unexpected to discern why some do wonder aloud if responsibility, accountability and sense of integrity could ever be restored in the political dictionary of the current crop of leaders. Perhaps, such individuals and groups who frantically, desire meaningful change in the socio-political life of the country think so against the backdrop of apparent purposeful, focused leadership that characterised the era of Nigeria’s founding fathers as late Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto), Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Anthony Enahoro, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Murtala Muhammed, Osita Osadebey, Muhammadu Buhari, and others who sacrificed a lot to ensure the well-being of the masses. With their own share of challenges peculiar to the management of human affairs, till this day, those erstwhile leaders are fondly remembered for good as a result of their strength of character, discipline, loyalty, and patriotism.

Indeed, with nostalgia, one cannot but be amazed at the depth of passion exemplified in the communication of these past Nigerian leaders as regards the pursuit of their economic programmes for the welfare of the people. It’s quite edifying for any discerning Nigerians, especially the young ones, to listen to a programme titled: “Memories of Our Heroes”, a production of Radio Nigeria Network News Directorate being aired on the station every Monday as a prelude to commemorating Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee. One believes reliving and reflecting on memorable experiences of such great Nigerians would add much impetus to the ongoing efforts on Rebranding Nigeria Project of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications, an initiative aimed at engendering moral renaissance and national rebirth in the citizenry.

Intrestingly, it deserves a mention that in our day, there are yet men and women of substance who exemplify rare values-based leadership and courage in service to humanity in both private and public sectors of Nigeria’s economy. Research has shown that Nigerians such as Dr. Christopher Kolade (aka Mr. Integrity), Mazi Sam I. Ohuabunwa, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Prof. Wole Soyinka, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Abubakar Umar, and others numerous to mention here fall into this category. Such ones are said to have continued to hold their heads high in and outside positions of authority despite very widespread corrupting influences around them. They are no doubt shining examples to particularly the younger generation.

However, a large number of the population believe what obtains now is just a question of a corrupt leader’s associating himself or herself with any of the vicious cliques of ravenous individuals whose stock in trade is to hold their fatherland down till eternity. It’s, therefore, not unusual to hear the mind-boggling term,