Leadership must be selfless, By Kayode Adebiyi
Leadership is not a pursuit of self glorification and pursue of selfish lucre. It is about building leaders in different areas of democratic governance and building political institution that would engender a firmly rooted democratic culture within a nation.
Peter Obi said he left 75 billion naira for Obiano meanwhile the debt he left behind was over 100 billion. Obiana confirmed this. Na which kind savings be that.
You brought a successor into your house to take over from you and you now abandoned that same person in the house and ran into other people’s house in PDP.
Instead of spending his time out of office to build APGA, he abandoned Obiano he brought into APGA and ran to PDP, yet some people have the enfrontery to be following such a man and pushing him for presidency.
You know what Tinubi did after he left office? He was to go back to Senate. He returned the form at the last INEC window for name substitution. Instead, he asked one of his mentees, Ganiyu Solomon GOS to go instead. Tinubu believed being in the Senate would not give him time to build AC as a party to be reckoned with. That is leadership!
He worked hard, from just one state in Lagos, and grew AC into all the SW states and Edo. APGA was a one state party like AC. Guess what Obi did after leaving office. He abandoned the guy he brought into office and took a flight. Can you see the difference between a selfless leader and a selfish leader. After promising Ojukwu he would never leave APGA.
Obi ran to PDP because Jonatham promised him SGF after the 2015 election….and GEJ lost. We all went to school not because we only want to use the certificate to get a job and make a living. We went to school so we can involve our brain in critical thinking.
Some people will start making noise and shouting about Obi for President. On what basis and track record. Did he turn his state around? What exactly was his signature and bold ideas in Anambra? What are his leadership qualities. Where are his men? Who did he mentor? What political institution did he build? The one Ojukwu built and handed over to him, he abandoned it and chase after position in a PDP government.
I can show you a state Tinubu built, I can tell you a political institution he built and took from one state into a whole geo-political zone of 5 states and even into SS. Please, let the e-noise makers take a chill pill. This is not a gubernatorial election for goodness sake! Let’s stop comparing 2 incomparable elements. Even Atiku sabi wetin dey. When he was chased out of PDP, Tinubu gave him a base and a party to run to.
That’s a hallmark of a man who saw tomorrow. Politics is not an opportunistic and selfish endeavour. Democracy is not a 100 meter dash. It is a marathon and it takes those who have vision, long suffering and tenacity to go on this journey. Its not about looking for short cuts by abandoning your own house, jumping on what seems already prepared so you can get a slice of baked cake for your long throat. And when you realise it won’t work there, you ran to another prepared home quoting China and Bangladesh fake data all over the place.
Whereas another man has a tenacity of purpose. Building from the grands up. Giving Democracy a tap root, helping others and building coalitions because he understands that for democracy to endure and thrive nationalism must be at the fulcrum. He worked and even over worked himself. Today, some low energy online “protesters” are throwing darts at him. His scars are that of a man who has fought battles and won.
What battles have your man fought and won?
We would not allow leadership of this country become a selfish pursuit of self agrandisment. Never! Make all the noise you want for now…September is coming when your voice would be drowned by the superior force of a battle tested political machinery ever seeing in Nigeria’s history.
Quo Vadis!
-Adebiyi, a Public Relations Executive writes from London
