Leadership is important in all human endeavours, but when it comes to nation building, leadership, especially the leadership of a single man, is not of the significance we have attached to it.
By Sunday Adelaja*
…when it comes to building a nation, even though leadership is important, but it is not of overwhelming significance. The role of leadership might be more significant when we are talking of businesses, companies, or smaller units like the family, communities, associations, industries, etc.
In addressing this subject of leadership, I am going to be using my country, Nigeria, as a case study for several reasons: (1) Because that is where I come from and I am more familiar with it than any other country; (2.) Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, therefore whatever affects Nigeria affects all of Africa; (3) It has become a “proverb” all over the world how bad leadership is ruining Nigeria.
Ever since I was a young teenager growing up in Africa, I kept hearing it continuously, almost like a mantra, “that our only problem in Nigeria is leadership” or “that our biggest problem in Nigeria is leadership” etc.
Books have been written about this, seminars are unending on this topic, symposiums, colloquia, all kinds of platforms and avenues where various experts, teachers, writers, professors, have tried to foster solutions to this all abiding problem of leadership in Nigeria and Africa.
To the man on the street, however, who does not go to these symposiums and seminars, he is only left with hope. Hope that one day there would arise a kind and lovely leader who will build a wonderful nation for them, where everyone would be happy and satisfied. For this hope, the ordinary man prays in his church, mosque and even in the secrecy of his home.
This hope is what drives him to keep on queuing up in all kinds of weather, in hope of casting his vote. For the hope of this supposedly great and kind leader. As paradoxical as this might sound, this hope has even lead some naive and zealous men to stage a number of coups all across Afric, in the hope that just in case from their ranks might arise that kind and great leader who would build their dreamed paradise for them.
The only problem with this kind of mentality is that it is now close to 55 years since Nigeria and Africa have been hoping and are still hoping for a good and kind leader that would lead our nation and continent to the Promised Land. If we are to apply the principle of critical thinking, we would see that it is either what we are praying and hoping for is wrong or something is wrong with our nation and continent.
Hypothetically, if this hope and prayers had been correct, there should have been at least a few countries in Africa who should have gotten it right, especially since the time span we are talking about is not five or 10 years, but 55 years. This is a lot of time. There should have arisen a lot of opportunities for at least a few African countries to have produced great leaders, who would have built prosperous and great nations.
… having lived outside Nigeria for the past 30 years, working with politicians, countries, governments, being a student of national transformation, and a consultant and an expert in nation building, national transformation and factors of development and civilisation, I now think differently.
The fact that this same problem seems to plague all the over 50 countries in Africa, is by itself not a coincidence. With no apparent evidence of remedy, could this be telling us that we are putting our hope in the wrong place? Are we sure leadership is truly our main problem?
As a young teenager growing up in Nigeria, there was no chance of me thinking outside the box. I automatically found myself thinking as the majority of people do in my country; that our only problem is “leadership” in Nigeria. Whenever we speak about leadership, however, we are not talking about the leadership of schools or less significant government agencies. We mainly refer to politicians or top government officials at the helm of affairs in our country.
I listened to that theorem, that our main problem is leadership so many times, that I never even thought it might not be true. It was automatically assumed to be true by most of the people around me.
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” –
However, having lived outside Nigeria for the past 30 years, working with politicians, countries, governments, being a student of national transformation, and a consultant and an expert in nation building, national transformation and factors of development and civilisation, I now think differently.
Before I bring out my arguments, permit me to say that there is no doubt about it that leadership has its place in all human endeavours. My friend, John Maxwell has popularised the saying: “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. I couldn’t agree more.
However, when it comes to building a nation, even though leadership is important, but it is not of overwhelming significance. The role of leadership might be more significant when we are talking of businesses, companies, or smaller units like the family, communities, associations, industries, etc.
Our modern world has long become a post-monarchical world. The democratic system of government has replaced the supremacy of monarchs in most countries of the world. It is for this reason that the emergence of democracy has now reduced the all-important role of a good and kind leader in building a prosperous nation.
In the above mentioned groups of people, the role of a set man is almost supreme and indispensable. But when it comes to nations, I would like you to take your time to read through my argument in this piece. I appeal to all of you that are reading this, not to be in a hurry to stone me or stop reading. Please don’t think I am in some form of error or the other.
Let me reinstate here that, yes, leadership is important in all human endeavours, but when it comes to nation building, leadership, especially the leadership of a single man, is not of the significance we have attached to it.
In history however, not too many people were willing to listen to this type of reasoning that I am presenting today. All throughout human history, men tend to simply take it for granted that a good leader means a good nation. A kind leader would take care of his people and bad leaders oppress their people.
There is a justification to this manner of thinking though. Especially since most parts of the then known world, in almost all ethnic groups, the leadership of these nations were primarily kings and monarchs. In which case without doubt, individual leadership of the monarch is the singular factor in determining the standard of living of the people.
Yes, if we in Nigeria and Africa today have been running a monarchical system of government, then that statement, “leadership is our only problem” could have been justified.
Our modern world has long become a post-monarchical world. The democratic system of government has replaced the supremacy of monarchs in most countries of the world. It is for this reason that the emergence of democracy has now reduced the all-important role of a good and kind leader in building a prosperous nation.
*Sunday Adelaja is a Nigeria born leader, transformation strategist, pastor and innovator. He was based in Kiev, Ukraine.
Source Premium Times
