No, I am not Martin Luther King. Neither am I Joseph the dreamer. But, I also have a dream. God has not changed. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and ever shall it be. I truly have a dream.
I have a dream that Nigeria shall soon be restored; the land shall be healed. Once again, Nigeria shall be a land flowing with milk and honey. As Jericho was healed, the situation of Nigeria shall once again be pleasant.
It is a dream; perhaps a revelation. Nigeria shall be rid of vampires and pests, cankerworms and caterpillars. The devourers shall be rooted out and the people of God shall rejoice. All those who have held the country down, who have profited from the tears of the children of God shall be humbled and humiliated. It is my dream.
There shall be showers of blessing in this country. No more mercy drops. There shall be abundance of food and drinks. The land shall no longer bring forth thistles and thorns. It shall no longer be a country of the poor, one scorned by the mighty nations, made a foot stool of the great countries. This is my dream.
I have a dream. This country shall no longer be a state of beggars shipped across states. There shall be abundance of everything. Those in power shall be those elected by the people, not those selected by a few. The polity shall be rid of strong men and godfathers. The democracy practised in Nigeria shall be one man, one vote. I have a dream.
I have a dream; that the United States of America shall one day, very soon, operate at the same level, on equal terms with Nigeria . In that day, Nigeria shall truly be respected as the giant of Africa . All nations of Africa will covet the status and achievements of Nigeria . The economy shall blossom and the politics shall be right. The atmosphere shall be refreshing. Nigeria will rise again.
This is my dream. It shall come to pass. I want to believe that those reading this will claim it and shout Amen. If anyone doubts, he should read 2 Kings Chapter 7 of the Bible. My dream is akin to the record of Elisha in 2 kings Chapter 2, verses 19-22. Nigeria shall rise again. The foundation shall be healed. The people of God, long held down shall be free again and the dreams of independence that the Lord showed to the founding fathers shall be realised. This is my dream.
Has anyone taken time to study how God specially packaged this country? Has anyone noticed how God put different vegetations together in this country? How many countries have as much as the crude oil available to this country? What about the solid minerals? Is there any part of this country that cannot thrive on just agriculture? Nigeria is blessed, but some people decided to curse the country. But, thus says the Lord of hosts, the same yesterday and today. And forever. The one who promised and will surely bring it to pass: "Who shall curse those whom I have blessed? For how long shall my people who are called by my name be held down? This is the day of deliverance. My people who have gone astray shall be gathered again and shall fulfill their destiny. I shall fight for my people and they shall hold their peace." So says the Lord and so shall it be.
The Lord has said that, upon this mountain ( Nigeria ), there shall be deliverance. If God be for us, who can be against us. The people of God shall possess their possession. Abrahamic blessing shall be the people’s.
Yes, I have the dream, but the people of God must reposition themselves. They must obey the word of the Almighty, they must believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is able to do it; that he is ready to do it. They must accept that as it recorded in James Chapter 1, doubters shall not partake of the inheritance of the God of Israel, the Jehovah Jireh.
You may call this political theology. I have been cured, myself, of my deep seated cynicism and pessimism. Now, I truly believe. If it is said of my God, it shall come to pass because no word that proceeds from His mouth shall return to Him void.
I have a dream. I have the dream. Nigeria shall rise again. No longer shall other countries, mighty countries of the West and the East, trample upon this great country. Nigeria shall no longer be a potentially great country. It shall be a truly great country- militarily, economically, politically. The spirit of division and rancour shall be defeated. The people of Nigeria shall be united and war against the enemies at the word of the Lord.
Peace shall reign in the Niger Delta. The North shall no longer be seen as the obstacle to development. The west shall work with the East and the North with the Souther minorities. So shall it be. It is the message. For as many as believe it shall be counted as their destiny to be part of the abundance.
I have a dream. This is the dream.
By Bolade Omonijo
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
NIGERIA NEXT: THE BEGINNING OF A BEGINNING By Tunji Orishalade Esq.
Said Jack L. Wacker, on The Foundations of Democracy: "The system to which this label refers, however, has been going through a series of modifications and transformations and the system that exists today bears little resemblance to the neatly balanced edifice constructed by the framers."
The above observation cannot be more apt when having in mind the Nigerian type of democracy. It is more of a situation of a boy – child not resembling the father. It is anathematic. The basic and simple definition of democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. The question is: has there been a government of the people and for the people in Nigeria at all? It is an emphatic No! Government ought ordinarily to cultivate a cheerful and willing obedience to its governance by putting in place some palliative measures for the people, but that is lacking in the Nigerian setting. What exists is a cheerless, forceful and commanded obedience.
In recent Nigeria, notwithstanding the mad celebration of ten years of democracy by some megalomaniac politicians, there is still no democracy in Nigeria and the decisions of the various tribunals all over the country bear testimony to this. In most cases, the occupiers of elected political offices are thump–up leaders, not the peoples’ real representatives. This is why it is not surprising that their actions and inactions have been anti-people and unconscionable.
What really have been the dividends of democracy to Nigerians over the years? Absolutely nothing, except sorrows and tears. The government cannot really pin– point anything concrete. Socially and psychologically, Nigerians have been degraded and dehumanized by government polices. The government had deliberately sidelined education in order to get Nigerians ignorant and not knowledgeable enough to query its policies and fight for their rights. Education, which had in the past been given prime position, is of no concern to the government of the day. Take a look at our public schools and see the infrastructures on ground vis-a-vis the comfort of the students. They are really demeaning. All these constitute sharp opposites to what obtains in private schools, being largely owned by the people who had served in some of the governments under reference and had their resources, largely from what they made from same. There have existed some serious governments in this country, even at state levels who had given education a priority and committed huge sums of money towards ensuring its smooth running. As far back as 1971, the East Central State government of Nigeria proposed to spend £29,440,730 for its services during that current financial year. Its Administrator then, Mr. Ukpabi Asika, in a broadcast in Enugu explained that education, alone would take the largest single share of the budget with an estimated expenditure of £12, 177, 380. In the same year also, Governor Abba Kyari of the North Central State of Nigeria proposed a budget of £19.2 million, the highest ever, and gave a whooping £5million to education.
The resources of this country are large enough to fund free education at all levels, but the government would just not do it, because it pays it to keep the mass of the people in perpetual ignorance. Apart from the decadence in the educational sector, others are equally bundles of neglect.
In Nigeria of 2009, some communities are still praying to have portable water and electricity. All these are traceable to the greed and avarice of our politicians cum leaders. Some of them after loading their bank accounts with both local and foreign currencies, buying houses all over the federation and overseas, and taking time to arrange a ring of miscreants and praise– singers around themselves, using them as bullet– proofs. These categories are drawn from the children of the same people they have impoverished. The political leaders, drawn from the executive and legislative arms, on periodic basis, smile to their banks whilst the bulk of their people cry to their beds, if they have any. Imagine a situation where in a country so much lacking in basic necessities, a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria collects an average of N30million on a monthly basis for doing virtually nothing, when an amount not up to the said sum is needed to put certain infrastructures in place for the benefit of the teeming majority.
Ours is now a chaotic and disorderly society, everyone is lord unto himself and there is the mad rush to make money by all means. The security personnel are only interested in what comes out to him personally in cases assigned to him for investigation. Energies and experiences exerted on the criminals are to raise his bargaining power. The check-points existing nationwide are equally there for personal gains and you are only stopped or delayed if you did not "roger" them instantly upon sighting. Whilst one is not holding brief for them, if you ask them why they do all these, they would always justify same via one inefficiency or the other in the system. The other professionals are equally not exempted. The need for money has been seriously glorified. And worst of all, unlike in the past, nobody ask questions these days.
The neglect by government and the monumental rot in the system throwing a lot on the society these days and the consequences are immense. The Niger–Delta situation has been with us since the days of Adaka Isaac Boro and nobody listened to him, but rather he was put away through a sordid and well-orchestrated official conspiracy. The current unenviable situation in the country now is that we have a new set of leaders, right from the hamlet cum village settings whom the neglect and rot in the system had thrown at us. They have no moral standing to justify the forceful and underserved leadership roles bestowed upon them. The signs of the times are ominous, very unhealthy and are pointers to grave things coming in the future. Even right now, there are talks and calls for revolution in the country.
The French Revolution which began in 1789 was signaled by the inability of the French people to get bread on their tables and thus a mass protest was taken to the Palace of the King, Louis XVI.
The series of Revolutions in Russia, popularly called The Russian Revolution commencing from March 1917 and ending in November of same year, spurred up Vladimir Lenin. The change was stirred by the weak and inefficient system of government of Czar Nicholas 11 with the autocratic, corrupt and anachronistic elements surrounding him, like the present day Nigerian leaders, was out of touch with the needs and aspirations of the Russian people, majority of whom were victims of the wretched socio – economic conditions which prevailed in the then Russia. Much like the average Nigerian leader, the Czar had disowned and rejected the advice of the British Ambassador to Russia, Sir George Buchanan who advised him to "break down the barrier that separates you from your people to regain their confidence".
In Cuba, the corruption and misgovernment of Pulgencio Batista gave rise to an uprising led by Fidel Castro. The uncomfortable situation in the country and the dictatorial regime gave impetus to the assemblage of willing countrymen who rallied round the revolutionary leaders. Despite Batista’s launch of operation Verano to quench the uprising, calling in use seventeen battalions, tanks, planes and ships, they were defeated by the infinitesimally small volunteer army led by Fidel Castro, Che-Guevara, Raul Castro, Camilo Cienfluegos and others. Batista eventually fled to Spain after he and his Generals had viewed the situation as hopeless. Castro and his forces took over Havana and the battle ended, with the will of the people triumphing. The rest also is still history.
The type of situation that brought up Flt-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings in Ghana is doubled in the present day Nigeria.
Nature, they say, harbours no vacuum. It shall continue to manufacture events, depending on the situation on ground. Prior to this time, there were no tribal militias in the country, but now there are OPC, APC, MASSOB and the latest addition, the Niger-Delta militants. The Boko Haram sect and the Shiite Muslims groups have reared their heads to show us they exist. There are great suspicions that we have Talibans in our midst. Nobody knows their mission and aims. The uncared-for Almajiris in the North, with those of similar plights, aimless and unclear dispositions in the East and West are still very much within us. They all would not continue to live and walk unpredictably into the future. Nothing is impossible. All the signs are pointing to the igniting of a small fire, the spread of which no one can yet predict. As nature asserts, there would definitely be a beginning of a beginning, the time, direction, format, drive, coverage and route of which nobody knows. Let Mallam Musa Yar’Adua and the rest so-called leaders listen to the wise counsel of Sir George Buchanan given ninety-two years ago, under similar circumstance and break down the barrier that separates them from their people to regain their confidence.
God bless Nigerians.
The above observation cannot be more apt when having in mind the Nigerian type of democracy. It is more of a situation of a boy – child not resembling the father. It is anathematic. The basic and simple definition of democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. The question is: has there been a government of the people and for the people in Nigeria at all? It is an emphatic No! Government ought ordinarily to cultivate a cheerful and willing obedience to its governance by putting in place some palliative measures for the people, but that is lacking in the Nigerian setting. What exists is a cheerless, forceful and commanded obedience.
In recent Nigeria, notwithstanding the mad celebration of ten years of democracy by some megalomaniac politicians, there is still no democracy in Nigeria and the decisions of the various tribunals all over the country bear testimony to this. In most cases, the occupiers of elected political offices are thump–up leaders, not the peoples’ real representatives. This is why it is not surprising that their actions and inactions have been anti-people and unconscionable.
What really have been the dividends of democracy to Nigerians over the years? Absolutely nothing, except sorrows and tears. The government cannot really pin– point anything concrete. Socially and psychologically, Nigerians have been degraded and dehumanized by government polices. The government had deliberately sidelined education in order to get Nigerians ignorant and not knowledgeable enough to query its policies and fight for their rights. Education, which had in the past been given prime position, is of no concern to the government of the day. Take a look at our public schools and see the infrastructures on ground vis-a-vis the comfort of the students. They are really demeaning. All these constitute sharp opposites to what obtains in private schools, being largely owned by the people who had served in some of the governments under reference and had their resources, largely from what they made from same. There have existed some serious governments in this country, even at state levels who had given education a priority and committed huge sums of money towards ensuring its smooth running. As far back as 1971, the East Central State government of Nigeria proposed to spend £29,440,730 for its services during that current financial year. Its Administrator then, Mr. Ukpabi Asika, in a broadcast in Enugu explained that education, alone would take the largest single share of the budget with an estimated expenditure of £12, 177, 380. In the same year also, Governor Abba Kyari of the North Central State of Nigeria proposed a budget of £19.2 million, the highest ever, and gave a whooping £5million to education.
The resources of this country are large enough to fund free education at all levels, but the government would just not do it, because it pays it to keep the mass of the people in perpetual ignorance. Apart from the decadence in the educational sector, others are equally bundles of neglect.
In Nigeria of 2009, some communities are still praying to have portable water and electricity. All these are traceable to the greed and avarice of our politicians cum leaders. Some of them after loading their bank accounts with both local and foreign currencies, buying houses all over the federation and overseas, and taking time to arrange a ring of miscreants and praise– singers around themselves, using them as bullet– proofs. These categories are drawn from the children of the same people they have impoverished. The political leaders, drawn from the executive and legislative arms, on periodic basis, smile to their banks whilst the bulk of their people cry to their beds, if they have any. Imagine a situation where in a country so much lacking in basic necessities, a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria collects an average of N30million on a monthly basis for doing virtually nothing, when an amount not up to the said sum is needed to put certain infrastructures in place for the benefit of the teeming majority.
Ours is now a chaotic and disorderly society, everyone is lord unto himself and there is the mad rush to make money by all means. The security personnel are only interested in what comes out to him personally in cases assigned to him for investigation. Energies and experiences exerted on the criminals are to raise his bargaining power. The check-points existing nationwide are equally there for personal gains and you are only stopped or delayed if you did not "roger" them instantly upon sighting. Whilst one is not holding brief for them, if you ask them why they do all these, they would always justify same via one inefficiency or the other in the system. The other professionals are equally not exempted. The need for money has been seriously glorified. And worst of all, unlike in the past, nobody ask questions these days.
The neglect by government and the monumental rot in the system throwing a lot on the society these days and the consequences are immense. The Niger–Delta situation has been with us since the days of Adaka Isaac Boro and nobody listened to him, but rather he was put away through a sordid and well-orchestrated official conspiracy. The current unenviable situation in the country now is that we have a new set of leaders, right from the hamlet cum village settings whom the neglect and rot in the system had thrown at us. They have no moral standing to justify the forceful and underserved leadership roles bestowed upon them. The signs of the times are ominous, very unhealthy and are pointers to grave things coming in the future. Even right now, there are talks and calls for revolution in the country.
The French Revolution which began in 1789 was signaled by the inability of the French people to get bread on their tables and thus a mass protest was taken to the Palace of the King, Louis XVI.
The series of Revolutions in Russia, popularly called The Russian Revolution commencing from March 1917 and ending in November of same year, spurred up Vladimir Lenin. The change was stirred by the weak and inefficient system of government of Czar Nicholas 11 with the autocratic, corrupt and anachronistic elements surrounding him, like the present day Nigerian leaders, was out of touch with the needs and aspirations of the Russian people, majority of whom were victims of the wretched socio – economic conditions which prevailed in the then Russia. Much like the average Nigerian leader, the Czar had disowned and rejected the advice of the British Ambassador to Russia, Sir George Buchanan who advised him to "break down the barrier that separates you from your people to regain their confidence".
In Cuba, the corruption and misgovernment of Pulgencio Batista gave rise to an uprising led by Fidel Castro. The uncomfortable situation in the country and the dictatorial regime gave impetus to the assemblage of willing countrymen who rallied round the revolutionary leaders. Despite Batista’s launch of operation Verano to quench the uprising, calling in use seventeen battalions, tanks, planes and ships, they were defeated by the infinitesimally small volunteer army led by Fidel Castro, Che-Guevara, Raul Castro, Camilo Cienfluegos and others. Batista eventually fled to Spain after he and his Generals had viewed the situation as hopeless. Castro and his forces took over Havana and the battle ended, with the will of the people triumphing. The rest also is still history.
The type of situation that brought up Flt-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings in Ghana is doubled in the present day Nigeria.
Nature, they say, harbours no vacuum. It shall continue to manufacture events, depending on the situation on ground. Prior to this time, there were no tribal militias in the country, but now there are OPC, APC, MASSOB and the latest addition, the Niger-Delta militants. The Boko Haram sect and the Shiite Muslims groups have reared their heads to show us they exist. There are great suspicions that we have Talibans in our midst. Nobody knows their mission and aims. The uncared-for Almajiris in the North, with those of similar plights, aimless and unclear dispositions in the East and West are still very much within us. They all would not continue to live and walk unpredictably into the future. Nothing is impossible. All the signs are pointing to the igniting of a small fire, the spread of which no one can yet predict. As nature asserts, there would definitely be a beginning of a beginning, the time, direction, format, drive, coverage and route of which nobody knows. Let Mallam Musa Yar’Adua and the rest so-called leaders listen to the wise counsel of Sir George Buchanan given ninety-two years ago, under similar circumstance and break down the barrier that separates them from their people to regain their confidence.
God bless Nigerians.
COUNTERFEIT LEADERSHIP
The ability to recognise good leadership is almost as important as good leadership itself.
Real leadership is often hard to detect because of the rules and biases built into social, academic, and professional system. Hence, we are short on leadership and long on counterfeit, our coffers are filled with pyrite, and our offices are filled with pirates.
As I monitor all the hunger, starvation, poverty, unemployment, avoidable deaths that never got the chance of being avoided because of lack of miserable few naira notes to save that life, but, very far from the reach of he that was to have saved, it all came back to me in several folds. There and then, I realized that Nigeria, as a “great nation,” lacks true leadership.
Show me a true leader and I will show you a man, who is clouded by his love for people and sensitivity to their emotions and needs. Helping people feel happy and secure comes easy for such man. He fights to create lasting values at all times, always leading from the inside, knowing that character is power. He’s usually principle centred. He has the ability to keep everyone engaged, according to their propensities. He is an expert at delegation and empowerment. Finally, he must be a servant-leader who leaves behind a culture of enduring excellence.
I look at myself and I sometimes thank God for the little He brings my way everyday, which, in turn, helps me take care of all the outside responsibilities that knock on my door step every now and then. I would love to do more but am limited. The truth is that there are limited numbers of my impoverished people who I can put smiles on their faces even if for few days. How can a man who dedicated himself to the service of this country suddenly turn a beggar in the street all because of pension-pocketing by our so called leaders? Haba! Most mornings when I wake up, I find myself still in bed pondering over the happenings in my country.
I had a dream of what I expected my Nigeria to be, but wherever it took flight it is only answerable by the monkeys we have in high places. We can only help ourselves to be who we have thought, dreamt and vision ourselves to be. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and turning yourself a victim to the system, please no matter how small, let’s put heads together and start something that will give us the desired fulfillment we crave. I have finally seen that the “Nigerian system” is growing grey hair and only our determination to succeed can see us through, else we find out too late that it’s all greyed. Saying no to my parents’ dream for me and saying yes to my own dream left me in a state of poverty for years, but I got out of it with all the determination and focus I could gather. I only focused on where I was headed.
Let’s come together and find a way out of this dungeon of messed up leadership. If you agree with me that the system can be purified, then let’s purify it by being busy for ourselves and the Nigeria of our dream. Never you forget that sometimes, hunger dey wire me too, but my guy, I still dey kampke.Nigeria is faced with all manner of hardship. Many people live in penury because of bad leadership.
I believe that under proper leadership, people are showered with adequate food, health and wealth. When the leaders are rogues, the people suffer and live everyday in lamentation thereby, making the society to become a venture of tremendous speculation, frustration and diminishing returns. Bear in mind that the best leaders deliver. When a leader believes that he now has all the power in the world to gather opulence unto himself, then, we have an unhealthy situation at hand and this is the case of the Nigerian people and all the suffering and frustrations of the exceptional Nigerian youths. Power is wonderful when used properly.
The leader of high conscience creates a culture that stimulates people to do the right thing in the right way and at the right time in the society. The primary concern of most counterfeit leaders is continually how to use people to make things happen rather than making things happen for the people.Most of our so called politicians often speak of progressive conceptions of leadership and spirituality merely to win adherents and supporters, and in the same vain, they often use God’s name to bolster their efforts and pursue their personal agenda- while actually having little or no interest in God’s consciousness. General Buhari once said, “if getting to the other side matters to you and you must eat with your enemy to get there, then eat with him but while eating, use a long spoon.’’ This is what happens in Nigeria.
The system is corrupt. No level playing field. No values to imbibe. Any man who never had dream of becoming president, governor, or minister but is suddenly put there by man “godfatherism” is certainly a counterfeit leader. Why? A leader, first of all, must have a plan, purpose and direction. When it never crossed your mind to become or run for office, but you are made a leader by another, you, in more cases than none, stand a chance of being ordered, pushed, directed and planned for by the man that has put you there. We have another group whose interest is to actually be in a position to change things for the better. They, therefore, go all out to get elected.
I say to these ones, welcome saints among many sinners. But for how long do you intend to remain a saint? Of course, you change after a while because now you see what power is like, you want to keep coming back for every other voting season and will do anything to be voted back into power, and to accomplish this desire to be powerful again. Stealing becomes your surname, if you run into the shadow of your old self. You don’t even know who you are anymore.
Do we have to excuse the saints that later became sinners because of the system? Every patriotic Nigerian must have the will-power to resist anything that conflicts with your conscience. If you allow yourself to be soaked into the system, it then means that you are valueless. What does one leader use against another leader in time of crises? Money! So, stealing of public fund becomes a necessary partner.
The only way money stealing is masterly carried out in Nigeria is through the help of the political cartel.
For Nigeria to be a better place, the powers-that-be must be destroyed to create opportunities for bright Nigerians who still have dreams of what a great Nigerian should be. The problem must be uprooted to create room for better leadership. Over time, system has instilled counterfeit leadership in the Nigerian people, which makes it possible for a saint to go in but on the long run changes to counterfeit leadership because he lacks the will to say no to wrong.
If you allow your wall to crack, then you will have lizards run into it, thereby, falling it. A leader must be strong on positive values. If you allow “godfatherism” into your leadership then you have already allow your wall to crack. Your weakness is always the arena for your failure. Whatever area a leader is weak is likely the area he will sell out his people. If someone has a weakness for money, again, that will be his arena of failure. If our leaders will learn to control their senses and thus gain the strengths needed to overcome their weaknesses, they will not disappoint or embarrass themselves or their citizens. No one can be a strong leader without regulating the senses.
I thought a true leader is ABOVE DUPLICITY. This simply means that a true leader should be straightforward in both words and conduct. A true leader is he that understands before he goes in. The leader should not allow himself to be too mild, or he will be disregarded by both the governed and the godfathers who will only toss him around. He must also avoid the other extreme (of being too fierce), for then, the people will fear him, which does not create a happy state of affairs. But for a country like Nigeria, fierceness is imperative for a leader to overcome godfatherism.A leader’s duty is to his people. He should be ready to take care of them with no care of pleasing himself.
He should subordinate his own wishes and desires to those of his people, only then should he think of his comforts, appetites, aspirations, and pleasures. Good leadership means thinking first of the welfare of the people before thinking of oneself.Having said all of this, I want to say that Governor Babatunde Fashola is indeed, making many Nigerians proud but then again, I pray he has the will-power to continue to withstand godfatherism, to continue all the visible work he is doing, which is constantly spoken of by the people and even the so-called leaders. You must never give room for your wall to crack to avoid lizard invasion. You must be at alert always to be able to study your foes and friends incessantly.
I dare say that you are doing a good job in Lagos, which qualifies you, for “now,” as an authentic leader in the alternative of a counterfeit.Finally, all our counterfeit leaders who take pleasure in making the lives of Nigerians miserable, by all their incessant stealing of public funds, should always wake up in the morning to remember that there is a word called nemesis. Na God go punish all of una!
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy)
Real leadership is often hard to detect because of the rules and biases built into social, academic, and professional system. Hence, we are short on leadership and long on counterfeit, our coffers are filled with pyrite, and our offices are filled with pirates.
As I monitor all the hunger, starvation, poverty, unemployment, avoidable deaths that never got the chance of being avoided because of lack of miserable few naira notes to save that life, but, very far from the reach of he that was to have saved, it all came back to me in several folds. There and then, I realized that Nigeria, as a “great nation,” lacks true leadership.
Show me a true leader and I will show you a man, who is clouded by his love for people and sensitivity to their emotions and needs. Helping people feel happy and secure comes easy for such man. He fights to create lasting values at all times, always leading from the inside, knowing that character is power. He’s usually principle centred. He has the ability to keep everyone engaged, according to their propensities. He is an expert at delegation and empowerment. Finally, he must be a servant-leader who leaves behind a culture of enduring excellence.
I look at myself and I sometimes thank God for the little He brings my way everyday, which, in turn, helps me take care of all the outside responsibilities that knock on my door step every now and then. I would love to do more but am limited. The truth is that there are limited numbers of my impoverished people who I can put smiles on their faces even if for few days. How can a man who dedicated himself to the service of this country suddenly turn a beggar in the street all because of pension-pocketing by our so called leaders? Haba! Most mornings when I wake up, I find myself still in bed pondering over the happenings in my country.
I had a dream of what I expected my Nigeria to be, but wherever it took flight it is only answerable by the monkeys we have in high places. We can only help ourselves to be who we have thought, dreamt and vision ourselves to be. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and turning yourself a victim to the system, please no matter how small, let’s put heads together and start something that will give us the desired fulfillment we crave. I have finally seen that the “Nigerian system” is growing grey hair and only our determination to succeed can see us through, else we find out too late that it’s all greyed. Saying no to my parents’ dream for me and saying yes to my own dream left me in a state of poverty for years, but I got out of it with all the determination and focus I could gather. I only focused on where I was headed.
Let’s come together and find a way out of this dungeon of messed up leadership. If you agree with me that the system can be purified, then let’s purify it by being busy for ourselves and the Nigeria of our dream. Never you forget that sometimes, hunger dey wire me too, but my guy, I still dey kampke.Nigeria is faced with all manner of hardship. Many people live in penury because of bad leadership.
I believe that under proper leadership, people are showered with adequate food, health and wealth. When the leaders are rogues, the people suffer and live everyday in lamentation thereby, making the society to become a venture of tremendous speculation, frustration and diminishing returns. Bear in mind that the best leaders deliver. When a leader believes that he now has all the power in the world to gather opulence unto himself, then, we have an unhealthy situation at hand and this is the case of the Nigerian people and all the suffering and frustrations of the exceptional Nigerian youths. Power is wonderful when used properly.
The leader of high conscience creates a culture that stimulates people to do the right thing in the right way and at the right time in the society. The primary concern of most counterfeit leaders is continually how to use people to make things happen rather than making things happen for the people.Most of our so called politicians often speak of progressive conceptions of leadership and spirituality merely to win adherents and supporters, and in the same vain, they often use God’s name to bolster their efforts and pursue their personal agenda- while actually having little or no interest in God’s consciousness. General Buhari once said, “if getting to the other side matters to you and you must eat with your enemy to get there, then eat with him but while eating, use a long spoon.’’ This is what happens in Nigeria.
The system is corrupt. No level playing field. No values to imbibe. Any man who never had dream of becoming president, governor, or minister but is suddenly put there by man “godfatherism” is certainly a counterfeit leader. Why? A leader, first of all, must have a plan, purpose and direction. When it never crossed your mind to become or run for office, but you are made a leader by another, you, in more cases than none, stand a chance of being ordered, pushed, directed and planned for by the man that has put you there. We have another group whose interest is to actually be in a position to change things for the better. They, therefore, go all out to get elected.
I say to these ones, welcome saints among many sinners. But for how long do you intend to remain a saint? Of course, you change after a while because now you see what power is like, you want to keep coming back for every other voting season and will do anything to be voted back into power, and to accomplish this desire to be powerful again. Stealing becomes your surname, if you run into the shadow of your old self. You don’t even know who you are anymore.
Do we have to excuse the saints that later became sinners because of the system? Every patriotic Nigerian must have the will-power to resist anything that conflicts with your conscience. If you allow yourself to be soaked into the system, it then means that you are valueless. What does one leader use against another leader in time of crises? Money! So, stealing of public fund becomes a necessary partner.
The only way money stealing is masterly carried out in Nigeria is through the help of the political cartel.
For Nigeria to be a better place, the powers-that-be must be destroyed to create opportunities for bright Nigerians who still have dreams of what a great Nigerian should be. The problem must be uprooted to create room for better leadership. Over time, system has instilled counterfeit leadership in the Nigerian people, which makes it possible for a saint to go in but on the long run changes to counterfeit leadership because he lacks the will to say no to wrong.
If you allow your wall to crack, then you will have lizards run into it, thereby, falling it. A leader must be strong on positive values. If you allow “godfatherism” into your leadership then you have already allow your wall to crack. Your weakness is always the arena for your failure. Whatever area a leader is weak is likely the area he will sell out his people. If someone has a weakness for money, again, that will be his arena of failure. If our leaders will learn to control their senses and thus gain the strengths needed to overcome their weaknesses, they will not disappoint or embarrass themselves or their citizens. No one can be a strong leader without regulating the senses.
I thought a true leader is ABOVE DUPLICITY. This simply means that a true leader should be straightforward in both words and conduct. A true leader is he that understands before he goes in. The leader should not allow himself to be too mild, or he will be disregarded by both the governed and the godfathers who will only toss him around. He must also avoid the other extreme (of being too fierce), for then, the people will fear him, which does not create a happy state of affairs. But for a country like Nigeria, fierceness is imperative for a leader to overcome godfatherism.A leader’s duty is to his people. He should be ready to take care of them with no care of pleasing himself.
He should subordinate his own wishes and desires to those of his people, only then should he think of his comforts, appetites, aspirations, and pleasures. Good leadership means thinking first of the welfare of the people before thinking of oneself.Having said all of this, I want to say that Governor Babatunde Fashola is indeed, making many Nigerians proud but then again, I pray he has the will-power to continue to withstand godfatherism, to continue all the visible work he is doing, which is constantly spoken of by the people and even the so-called leaders. You must never give room for your wall to crack to avoid lizard invasion. You must be at alert always to be able to study your foes and friends incessantly.
I dare say that you are doing a good job in Lagos, which qualifies you, for “now,” as an authentic leader in the alternative of a counterfeit.Finally, all our counterfeit leaders who take pleasure in making the lives of Nigerians miserable, by all their incessant stealing of public funds, should always wake up in the morning to remember that there is a word called nemesis. Na God go punish all of una!
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy)
WE ARE ALL GUILTY
Day in day out, the average Nigerian is violated in such ludicrous ways that will induce any conscious individual to understand that truly, we don’t belong yet to the class of people for who respect is a necessary component of existence.
Sometimes I feel that Nigeria is nothing but a zoo with us the animals running from pillar to post with no direction. No matter how hard we tried, we could never absolve ourselves of foolishness for being thirsty in the abundance of water. This piece has nothing to do with our yahoo, yahoo leaders, who are bereft of any ideas on how to move this country forward.
Yes, we have political break dancers, who are uninspiring; we have unimaginative leaders who don’t even know why they are there to serve, who believe that leadership starts and ends with how smart a thief they could be, and how much they need to become gods others should serve, lick their ass and sing their praise.
How can we ever free our conscience when we publicly adulate the same creatures we accuse of derailing our country, only because they can afford to booze the whole town to hell? There is a form of morality laundering that goes on when thieves who have looted the public treasury return to their villages to offer a few scholarships to the children of the same men whose efforts they frustrated and robbed with state power. This piece is not about the bad leadership we have been cursed with, because from where I stand, these bad people are in no hurry to leave the stage, and by implication, that only means that this rot will continue; our poverty, frustration, stress will escalate; our hopelessness will always be on the rise. As their accounts swells, their future guaranteed, or so they think.
This piece is about you and me, who are as guilty as sin, who will sit and complain endlessly about the rot we live in, failing to do nothing about our situation, failing to even make an honest attempt to do things differently, failing to accept that we the followership are just as guilty as the leadership.
You reading this, in what ways have you tried to improve your environment or pimp the mindset of the people you hang around with? You reading this, do you believe in Nigeria or you are one of those who really don’t give a hoot about the direction we are all headed? Maybe you are the lucky few, who will relocate to anywhere if things don’t work out for Nigeria; you have an option; that’s your excuse. Right? What about the rest of us who have no option, are we all investing in our instalmental death without knowing it?
Among all the evil, we somehow have shown ourselves to be resilient or even impervious to the catastrophic conditions that have kept us dazed. We all continue to pursue wealth as a way of increasing our immunities against the daily fiasco of living in Nigeria. In reconsidering the game, we have spunned enough blame for our problems to cover the entire universe in this our alienable exercise to direct our own affairs, but if we ask ourselves where we fit in this rather consternating picture, the honest answer is that we are all guilty.
We are guilty as charged for complacency in the presence of a moribund mediocrity. We are guilty for suffering and smiling and doing nothing to change the equation. We are guilty for allowing these yahoo, yahoo leaders to oppress us and mislead us this way, because some of us are busy waiting for crumbs that will fall from their tables in our direction. We are guilty because we are the problem with Nigeria not the leaders, after all, our leaders didn’t drop from the moon, they are full blown Nigerians too.
I have always said that this country will be redeemed by its exceptional youths, but the question is, are the youths ready? Have you considered the fact that there is little or nothing the leadership can do when you, the youths wake up in your numbers to say enough is enough? In the beer parlour, on the side walk, from the parks to our private homes, we keep saying we need a change, but how many of us are ready to ignite this change. Now my guy, let me run the list for you, (a) how many of us pay our bills without bribing our way out, (b) how many of us pay our taxes, (c) do you obey traffic rules? (d) Do we tell our friends or relatives who are in power the truth all the time? (e) do we say enough is enough and stand by it or do we change our tone as soon as water don pass under bridge?, (f) do we still believe in Nigeria or have we given up on Nigeria?, (g) how many of us accept gifts and contracts from the same men we condemn?, [h] do you sincerely see corruption as offensive to your senses?, (i) are you truly ready for freedom?, (j) are you ready to pay the price or die instalmentally?
Ask yourself if you are ready to change because that change must start from the people, only then would you be bold enough to confront your potorpotor leaders to retrieve your stolen future and readdress your present position in the scheme of things. Great Nigerian youths, you have the power. Purify your soul and purify the land. Your word is power for the people, because I believe it is time to stop suffering and smiling. I never finish o! What about over commercialization of religion that continues to threaten the ideal role of the so-called men of God as healers of the soul.
The anti- corruption crusade of our government, ICPC, and EFCC, will be meaningless if we cannot, within ourselves, establish the highest criteria for moral character and standards, which then is collectively projected and suffused into our social consciousness and will as a universal good. We must, as a people, rediscover and mobilize our innate conscience on a higher plane for more glorious returns. We must, as a society, develop the kind of radar that will provide early warnings when pestilence walks with smiling faces. We must decisively deal with tough questions regarding ourselves and those around us, for only through this way can we truly familiarize ourselves with each other enough to trust one another. Many of the Nigerian youths that I have met and from time to time synergize with, as much as my love pours out to you all, sympathizing with your stolen future, I will never support those who feel that yahoo, yahoo, 419, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, stealing, drug addiction, violence etc is an option in getting out of this mess. If any young person out there is saying that the only way to succeed in Nigeria is to be fraudulent and dishonest, I will then ask, how did Charly Boy make it?
’’Finally, great people of this country, this piece is not for everybody; it is for the few, who are sincerely pained, the few who are ready for a change, the few who have told themselves the truth by finding out from the above listed, what role they have played in the way our nation has turned; it is for the very few who feel, believe and agree that we can do better, that we can live better.
I am troubled by what I see everyday around; the country is looking like it is never going to get better, so great Nigerian youths, the time has come for us to finally make it better. Our future lies in how determined we are. If you feel the way I feel about this country, I need you to write me, call me, visit me; let’s connect; let’s find a way out of this mess, for two heads are better than one. It is better not to have a friend than to have one who is a thieving governor. Whatever you are doing and wherever you may be this very moment, just know that I love you my great Nigerian youths. Let’s purify the land now!
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy)
Sometimes I feel that Nigeria is nothing but a zoo with us the animals running from pillar to post with no direction. No matter how hard we tried, we could never absolve ourselves of foolishness for being thirsty in the abundance of water. This piece has nothing to do with our yahoo, yahoo leaders, who are bereft of any ideas on how to move this country forward.
Yes, we have political break dancers, who are uninspiring; we have unimaginative leaders who don’t even know why they are there to serve, who believe that leadership starts and ends with how smart a thief they could be, and how much they need to become gods others should serve, lick their ass and sing their praise.
How can we ever free our conscience when we publicly adulate the same creatures we accuse of derailing our country, only because they can afford to booze the whole town to hell? There is a form of morality laundering that goes on when thieves who have looted the public treasury return to their villages to offer a few scholarships to the children of the same men whose efforts they frustrated and robbed with state power. This piece is not about the bad leadership we have been cursed with, because from where I stand, these bad people are in no hurry to leave the stage, and by implication, that only means that this rot will continue; our poverty, frustration, stress will escalate; our hopelessness will always be on the rise. As their accounts swells, their future guaranteed, or so they think.
This piece is about you and me, who are as guilty as sin, who will sit and complain endlessly about the rot we live in, failing to do nothing about our situation, failing to even make an honest attempt to do things differently, failing to accept that we the followership are just as guilty as the leadership.
You reading this, in what ways have you tried to improve your environment or pimp the mindset of the people you hang around with? You reading this, do you believe in Nigeria or you are one of those who really don’t give a hoot about the direction we are all headed? Maybe you are the lucky few, who will relocate to anywhere if things don’t work out for Nigeria; you have an option; that’s your excuse. Right? What about the rest of us who have no option, are we all investing in our instalmental death without knowing it?
Among all the evil, we somehow have shown ourselves to be resilient or even impervious to the catastrophic conditions that have kept us dazed. We all continue to pursue wealth as a way of increasing our immunities against the daily fiasco of living in Nigeria. In reconsidering the game, we have spunned enough blame for our problems to cover the entire universe in this our alienable exercise to direct our own affairs, but if we ask ourselves where we fit in this rather consternating picture, the honest answer is that we are all guilty.
We are guilty as charged for complacency in the presence of a moribund mediocrity. We are guilty for suffering and smiling and doing nothing to change the equation. We are guilty for allowing these yahoo, yahoo leaders to oppress us and mislead us this way, because some of us are busy waiting for crumbs that will fall from their tables in our direction. We are guilty because we are the problem with Nigeria not the leaders, after all, our leaders didn’t drop from the moon, they are full blown Nigerians too.
I have always said that this country will be redeemed by its exceptional youths, but the question is, are the youths ready? Have you considered the fact that there is little or nothing the leadership can do when you, the youths wake up in your numbers to say enough is enough? In the beer parlour, on the side walk, from the parks to our private homes, we keep saying we need a change, but how many of us are ready to ignite this change. Now my guy, let me run the list for you, (a) how many of us pay our bills without bribing our way out, (b) how many of us pay our taxes, (c) do you obey traffic rules? (d) Do we tell our friends or relatives who are in power the truth all the time? (e) do we say enough is enough and stand by it or do we change our tone as soon as water don pass under bridge?, (f) do we still believe in Nigeria or have we given up on Nigeria?, (g) how many of us accept gifts and contracts from the same men we condemn?, [h] do you sincerely see corruption as offensive to your senses?, (i) are you truly ready for freedom?, (j) are you ready to pay the price or die instalmentally?
Ask yourself if you are ready to change because that change must start from the people, only then would you be bold enough to confront your potorpotor leaders to retrieve your stolen future and readdress your present position in the scheme of things. Great Nigerian youths, you have the power. Purify your soul and purify the land. Your word is power for the people, because I believe it is time to stop suffering and smiling. I never finish o! What about over commercialization of religion that continues to threaten the ideal role of the so-called men of God as healers of the soul.
The anti- corruption crusade of our government, ICPC, and EFCC, will be meaningless if we cannot, within ourselves, establish the highest criteria for moral character and standards, which then is collectively projected and suffused into our social consciousness and will as a universal good. We must, as a people, rediscover and mobilize our innate conscience on a higher plane for more glorious returns. We must, as a society, develop the kind of radar that will provide early warnings when pestilence walks with smiling faces. We must decisively deal with tough questions regarding ourselves and those around us, for only through this way can we truly familiarize ourselves with each other enough to trust one another. Many of the Nigerian youths that I have met and from time to time synergize with, as much as my love pours out to you all, sympathizing with your stolen future, I will never support those who feel that yahoo, yahoo, 419, kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, stealing, drug addiction, violence etc is an option in getting out of this mess. If any young person out there is saying that the only way to succeed in Nigeria is to be fraudulent and dishonest, I will then ask, how did Charly Boy make it?
’’Finally, great people of this country, this piece is not for everybody; it is for the few, who are sincerely pained, the few who are ready for a change, the few who have told themselves the truth by finding out from the above listed, what role they have played in the way our nation has turned; it is for the very few who feel, believe and agree that we can do better, that we can live better.
I am troubled by what I see everyday around; the country is looking like it is never going to get better, so great Nigerian youths, the time has come for us to finally make it better. Our future lies in how determined we are. If you feel the way I feel about this country, I need you to write me, call me, visit me; let’s connect; let’s find a way out of this mess, for two heads are better than one. It is better not to have a friend than to have one who is a thieving governor. Whatever you are doing and wherever you may be this very moment, just know that I love you my great Nigerian youths. Let’s purify the land now!
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy)
UNCREATIVE LEADERSHIP
As I woke up this morning from a disturbing nightmare, I keep thinking if we going to get any better as a people and as a country.
Are we forever going to remain a nation of consumers (like the locusts) and fraudsters? Are things ever going to improve or have we set ourselves up for one endless bottomless fall to becoming a failed state? Let me not attempt to share my nightmare with you, least it becomes your “day mare.”
How did we find ourselves in this rot? Why did we allow ourselves to sink this low? Are we all guilty or is it just the fault of most of the uncreative leaders we have had for donkey years? Our lives can be filled with creative moments, whatever we do, as long as we are flexible and open to new possibilities, willing to pulse beyond the routine.
America is going through one of the toughest times ever; yet, everyday I watch CNN, I can feel the concern of the leadership. Poor Obama inherited all the mess: debts, unemployment, which his predecessors created. I hear his words of encouragement to Americans. I see his all hands-on-deck attitude approach to leadership. He is aware that his people have never had it so bad. He is going the extra mile to change the face of Washington and politics, just to calm the pulse of frustrated Americans, whose American dream may be crumbling. Are you with me?
Am talking about bright ideas that get you out of a logjam, like figuring out how to squeeze three more feet of closet space out of your bedroom, or how to pack more time into your day, without giving up any of the other things you have to, or love to do.
The other day I was with one of the ministers and he kept complaining about how he can’t even find time to answer his phone anymore; how his friends and village people keep packing themselves to Abuja; how, because of all the winches, he can’t concentrate and do his work. Hmmm! If a minister is saying that, what will your president say, having in mind the Nigerian situation and condition? So, all you people in Aso Rock and on the corridors of power, could you please tell me, how President Obama manages to do his exercises in the morning, makes time with his family and special time for his two lovely kids everyday, in the middle of all the wahalas he inherited?Consider the myriad faces of creativity.
Groundbreaking ideas, like debts-for-land swaps that save tropical forest while helping impoverished countries; Ghandi’s strategy of protesting injustice with non violence; Grand visions of hope and truth that show the way to others; the bill of rights; Martin Luther king’s “I have a dream” speech. Whether great or small, each of these examples points to the essence of a creative act, one that is both novel and appropriate. An innovation is different from what’s been done before, but that’s not enough; it can’t just be bizarre or eccentric. It must “work.” To be creative, it must somehow be correct, useful, valuable, and meaningful.
However, it’s not enough just to be novel and useful. An important dimension of creativity, especially the kind of efforts that influence others and for which people become famous, is the audience. There is a crucial social dimension to the creative act. “Being creative means you do something, which is, first of all, unusual, that other people take it seriously. I mean the Charly Boy image has always been unusual, but the reason many no longer dwell on the persona any longer is because they have found the image somehow adaptive to first arresting attention long enough to pass serious social and political messages, and bottom-line, it being effective.
So, if I say I have found a way to convey twice as much information in the same period of time to make you enjoy it more, that’s creative, and even if it’s very unusual, it would catch on because it’s an effective thing to do. Indeed, many of the world’s most creative people have had to spend years pursuing their crafts in a lonely vigil, hounded by “badbeles,” people who just didn’t get it at first. Virtually none of the great men and women whose creative drive has transformed the discipline in which they worked was met with acceptance at first. Most were attacked, (like Charly boy) but knew in their hearts that theirs was a right course anyway. Any creative effort that does not take hold in a given field must be persuasive to others; this social dimension makes creativity akin to leadership. A successful leader is a successful creator.
A successful creator is someone who gives other people a different way of looking at things or at the world. People who are creative are always thinking about the environment in which they work and operate in. They are always tinkering. They’re always saying: “What makes sense here; what doesn’t make sense?” and if it doesn’t make sense, can I do something about it?
However, in Nigeria, as usual, we become narrow minded in the ways we think about creativity. We tend to think of creativity as rare field, artists are creative; musicians are creative, poets, filmmakers, dancers etc are. What about the bricklayer, the politicians, the ministers, the lecturers? For them to stand out, they must be creative.Creativity begins with an affinity for something; it’s like falling in love.
The most important thing is for an individual to feel some kind of strong connection to something. People who are passionate about what they are doing don’t give up easily. When frustration comes, they persist. When people are resistant to their innovation, they keep going anyway. Sticking to it is the genius.
The word leadership has a lot to do with role modelling, strong and quality character, sincerity of purpose, motivation and influence, humility, commitment, service, passion and most importantly creativity. Emphasis is placed on the later because it is the nucleus that sustains the rest with an ambiance of beauty, innovation, effectual quality for governance and true leadership.
Creativity, in itself, defines leadership because true leadership can only be achieved in an atmosphere of outlandish creativity. Leadership sets standard, defines the standard, epitomizes the standard, communicates the standard, implements the standard, replicates the standard, reviews the standard and most importantly, leadership translates the standard into tangible, accessible and substantive realities.
Our country Nigeria has continuously suffered wickedness of all sorts. The leadership has not been able to rise to the occasion for want of creativity. Crimes, ranging from bribery and corruption, siphoning of public funds, abject poverty, infrastructural collapse, moral decadence and social vices and much more, have now become the order of the day.
Most of our leaders have travelled abroad to see how things work in other countries; they enjoy themselves in the host countries and admire how things work. And I will always ask, how come they never learn anything from all that they see? How come from one government to the next, it’s always the same story, no difference, nothing to show for all our years of independence? How come we have always had leaders who lack passion, who never want to standout or do something great, leaders who are never interested in writing their names in the book of history, thieving leaders who are bent on impoverishing Nigerians? Is it that they really don’t care?
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) in the sun
Are we forever going to remain a nation of consumers (like the locusts) and fraudsters? Are things ever going to improve or have we set ourselves up for one endless bottomless fall to becoming a failed state? Let me not attempt to share my nightmare with you, least it becomes your “day mare.”
How did we find ourselves in this rot? Why did we allow ourselves to sink this low? Are we all guilty or is it just the fault of most of the uncreative leaders we have had for donkey years? Our lives can be filled with creative moments, whatever we do, as long as we are flexible and open to new possibilities, willing to pulse beyond the routine.
America is going through one of the toughest times ever; yet, everyday I watch CNN, I can feel the concern of the leadership. Poor Obama inherited all the mess: debts, unemployment, which his predecessors created. I hear his words of encouragement to Americans. I see his all hands-on-deck attitude approach to leadership. He is aware that his people have never had it so bad. He is going the extra mile to change the face of Washington and politics, just to calm the pulse of frustrated Americans, whose American dream may be crumbling. Are you with me?
Am talking about bright ideas that get you out of a logjam, like figuring out how to squeeze three more feet of closet space out of your bedroom, or how to pack more time into your day, without giving up any of the other things you have to, or love to do.
The other day I was with one of the ministers and he kept complaining about how he can’t even find time to answer his phone anymore; how his friends and village people keep packing themselves to Abuja; how, because of all the winches, he can’t concentrate and do his work. Hmmm! If a minister is saying that, what will your president say, having in mind the Nigerian situation and condition? So, all you people in Aso Rock and on the corridors of power, could you please tell me, how President Obama manages to do his exercises in the morning, makes time with his family and special time for his two lovely kids everyday, in the middle of all the wahalas he inherited?Consider the myriad faces of creativity.
Groundbreaking ideas, like debts-for-land swaps that save tropical forest while helping impoverished countries; Ghandi’s strategy of protesting injustice with non violence; Grand visions of hope and truth that show the way to others; the bill of rights; Martin Luther king’s “I have a dream” speech. Whether great or small, each of these examples points to the essence of a creative act, one that is both novel and appropriate. An innovation is different from what’s been done before, but that’s not enough; it can’t just be bizarre or eccentric. It must “work.” To be creative, it must somehow be correct, useful, valuable, and meaningful.
However, it’s not enough just to be novel and useful. An important dimension of creativity, especially the kind of efforts that influence others and for which people become famous, is the audience. There is a crucial social dimension to the creative act. “Being creative means you do something, which is, first of all, unusual, that other people take it seriously. I mean the Charly Boy image has always been unusual, but the reason many no longer dwell on the persona any longer is because they have found the image somehow adaptive to first arresting attention long enough to pass serious social and political messages, and bottom-line, it being effective.
So, if I say I have found a way to convey twice as much information in the same period of time to make you enjoy it more, that’s creative, and even if it’s very unusual, it would catch on because it’s an effective thing to do. Indeed, many of the world’s most creative people have had to spend years pursuing their crafts in a lonely vigil, hounded by “badbeles,” people who just didn’t get it at first. Virtually none of the great men and women whose creative drive has transformed the discipline in which they worked was met with acceptance at first. Most were attacked, (like Charly boy) but knew in their hearts that theirs was a right course anyway. Any creative effort that does not take hold in a given field must be persuasive to others; this social dimension makes creativity akin to leadership. A successful leader is a successful creator.
A successful creator is someone who gives other people a different way of looking at things or at the world. People who are creative are always thinking about the environment in which they work and operate in. They are always tinkering. They’re always saying: “What makes sense here; what doesn’t make sense?” and if it doesn’t make sense, can I do something about it?
However, in Nigeria, as usual, we become narrow minded in the ways we think about creativity. We tend to think of creativity as rare field, artists are creative; musicians are creative, poets, filmmakers, dancers etc are. What about the bricklayer, the politicians, the ministers, the lecturers? For them to stand out, they must be creative.Creativity begins with an affinity for something; it’s like falling in love.
The most important thing is for an individual to feel some kind of strong connection to something. People who are passionate about what they are doing don’t give up easily. When frustration comes, they persist. When people are resistant to their innovation, they keep going anyway. Sticking to it is the genius.
The word leadership has a lot to do with role modelling, strong and quality character, sincerity of purpose, motivation and influence, humility, commitment, service, passion and most importantly creativity. Emphasis is placed on the later because it is the nucleus that sustains the rest with an ambiance of beauty, innovation, effectual quality for governance and true leadership.
Creativity, in itself, defines leadership because true leadership can only be achieved in an atmosphere of outlandish creativity. Leadership sets standard, defines the standard, epitomizes the standard, communicates the standard, implements the standard, replicates the standard, reviews the standard and most importantly, leadership translates the standard into tangible, accessible and substantive realities.
Our country Nigeria has continuously suffered wickedness of all sorts. The leadership has not been able to rise to the occasion for want of creativity. Crimes, ranging from bribery and corruption, siphoning of public funds, abject poverty, infrastructural collapse, moral decadence and social vices and much more, have now become the order of the day.
Most of our leaders have travelled abroad to see how things work in other countries; they enjoy themselves in the host countries and admire how things work. And I will always ask, how come they never learn anything from all that they see? How come from one government to the next, it’s always the same story, no difference, nothing to show for all our years of independence? How come we have always had leaders who lack passion, who never want to standout or do something great, leaders who are never interested in writing their names in the book of history, thieving leaders who are bent on impoverishing Nigerians? Is it that they really don’t care?
Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) in the sun
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