My President, By Odi Ikpeazu

“Leadership is not making speeches or being liked. It is defined by results, not attributes.”

Peter Drucker

Personally I couldn’t give two jots about the religion of the one who intends to lead me, much less subscribing to the antagonisms of the two Abrahamic sects who permeate our national space. As far as I know, they are birds of the same feather, two sides of one coin.

I notice though, that in the doctrinaire considerations prevalent among my compatriots, no one spares a thought for the poor millions of African animists among us or the multitude of agnostics, Buddhists, atheists and people of other superstitions. It seems like their existence is not contemplated by any means in this so called government of the people, for the people and by the people. Effectively then, I would suppose they don’t qualify as people. Poor creatures. How very pompous indeed of these Abrahamic siblings.

When I look for a man to lead me, his religion would not qualify even to be the least requirement in my list.

His advanced age wouldn’t even really matter all that much except if he is Methuselah’s older brother and still living.

His youthfulness would not be that much of a criterion as well, being that I am not exactly looking for the leader of the boxing contingent to the National Sports Festival.

His apparent humility would not be my priority too because I know that a self effacing kiss on the cheek and a polite offer of a rose traditionally signals a Mafia boss’s wish that your brains be blown out execution style.

Physical infirmity may not totally discourage my allegiance either, because neither Julius Caesar’s epilepsy nor Franklin Roosevelt’s polio prevented both men from effectively ruling over the most powerful nation of their respective times.

The ethnicity of my prospective leader would compete for complete inconsequence with his religion. I would absolutely prefer a sagacious, creative alien to lead me instead of a capricious, unimaginative cousin to string me along with sentimental blood ties.

My kind of leader therefore, could be 90 years old or 19; he could well be an Olympic gymnast or a wheel chair bound quadriplegic; he could be a proud character that does not suffer fools or if he prefers, be so humble that he wears no shoes.

He might be an aristocrat with a  taste for gold watches and choice wines; I wouldn’t care too much if he were Christian, Muslim, Buddist, Animist, Agnostic or Atheist.

He could  come from my hometown or from Mars if he likes.

He could be a democrat if it yields the right result or better still, a despot who imposes goodwill on unwilling people.

All I would expect of him is to have great imagination, supreme creativity, social empathy, team management skills and a vaulting ambition to make his people happy. I would not expect him to play to the gallery, be it of the wise or of idiots, grovelling and seeking love by all obsequious means.

If I ever see such a man – or woman – I would follow them to the ends of Africa.