OF RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POWER II

“Man’s psyche should be studied because we are the origin of all coming evil.” - Carl Gustav Jung 1875-1961, Swiss Psychiatrist.

All humans are by nature fallible, even more fallible is the one who wields unrestrained power. Importantly I shall begin with the inimitable words transmitted to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887 by Lord John Dalberg Acton that ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men’. For students of Power and contemporary leadership those words are unassailable and serve as reprimand to the one who must leave laudable prints in the sands of time.

I have observed that institutional governance is yet in her teenage and teething age in most of Africa. I have observed that what we grow are more of strong men as opposed to strong institutions. I have observed that leaders in this clime are given monarchical adulation and adornedPharaohic garb with airs of infallibility. I have also observed that court-jesters and praise-singers are in huge supply making mockery of civilised conduct in power, and singing the wielder to doom.

To all who believe that responsible and responsive leadership is the forte of the new world and must become the minimum in this space, the call to truth, the call to partnership, and the call to a regime of proactive criticism is the challenge of the now. Incumbent on Buharists like me is the trust of making Buharism a school in profound leadership not a clan of singers who impose infallibility on our Dear President and vilify his critics.

History is replete with men who started well but ended badly because they groomed protégés and surrounded themselves with aides who brooked no opposition and infused a ‘no faults’ atmosphere on them. Nigeria occupies a huge chapter in such historicity, and sadly this is becoming a profusely pervasive tradition. Rather than helping our President into serious governmental challenge we regale in partisanship and trade monumental falsehood about the past as though the failures of the previous watchmen who superintended over Nigeria shall excuse ours, if God forbid we fail.

I have read how a Spokesperson to our Dear President described as crooks all those critical of the intention of Mr President to add to his huge Presidential responsibilities the job of the Minister of Petroleum, and I wonder what rudeness. Will those canvassing support for such also ask our President to present himself to the Senate for screening as provided by the Constitution? Will they think outside the box and concede that we admit failure when we think that in a nation of over 170million people our Dear President cannot trust anyone else with the Portfolio of the Minister of Petroleum.

Will those who ascribe a superhuman status to our Dear President and think light of the enormous demands of the Presidency and that of the Petroleum Ministry take a peek into the years of Chief OlusegunObasanjo as President and Petroleum Minister, will they fairly score that era as eventful? Truth be told the Petroleum Ministry will foster and work better under a prudent and a credible Technocrat with profound training in that sector, do not tell me that Mr President cannot find one.

Intrinsic and incumbent on good leadership is the mentor and the mentee praxis. When we argue that our Leaders are best suitable to handle multiple tasks we invoke the thought of ‘a few good men’ and judge the Nigerian space as incompetent of producing good men, by Jove we denigrate leadership as deficient in mentoring and inadvertently give a low mark to all leaders including the present. When we applaud rather than criticise the ‘only me can do’ normative, we unwittingly leave the youthswith this to ponder, does it mean that all these years President Buhari has not groomed or mentored someone he can trust?

Countrymen and women, we must be careful how we defend leadership and excuse the actions and nuances of leadership. Whatever we allow today becomes a precedent and forms the turf on which future leaderswill play. Yes, because we allowed the impunity that made Obasanjo President and the Minister of Petroleum we are compelled to think that to repeat same under the watch of a frugal, Spartan and credible helmsman makes it right, no, wrong is wrong. What is right is to ask our Dear President to accept to be screened by the Senate if he wants the Petroleum Ministry, but even better is for him to search out a trusted hand for that Ministry and concentrate on the huge responsibilities of his Presidency.

I have dealt seriously with the need to avoid jesters and praise singers, and I have for the discerning demonised impunity but there is yet another major challenge before this regime, and that is the need to expeditiously begin a rework of our collective morality. A responsible and responsive leader must lead the way to the Isle of Good Conduct; he must define the walkways and pave the lines with rectitude and openness. He musteschew falsehood in the defence of his watch and make truth the signpost of our collective voyage.

Great leaders are those who admit when they are wrong and crave forgiveness through righting the wrong, not those who elevate falsehood to an act of state by obliging Spokesmen who attempt every so often through the concealment of facts and the mortification of truth the embellishment of manifest gaffes. A good leaderunderstands the ids and the egos of power and appreciates that it is nobler to keep shut and attune for any error through a corrective volte face than to lie to the led.

A good leader is not oblivious of the angelic origin of Satan; he is not unmindful of the ageless reprimand of the Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung to wit that ‘Man’s psyche should be studied because we are the origin of all coming evil’ but concertedly works for the applause of history by humbly making the good of humanity and country the summumbonum of his watch. He has not learnt the lessons of leadership that does not humbly superintend over his space. Humility quenches the infernal storm of hate and overwhelms the rumbling critic.
Leaders must understand that the social contract from which leadership powers derive makes the led the master and institutes a paradigm that demands from the leader accountability and loyalty to the State. And to the led also is loyalty to the State incumbent; patriotism is therefore sine qua non for growth. A good leader is the custodian of the collective values and mores of the State as such must be above board, the leader that harbours hate fails, one that sacrifices national interest at the altar of partisan interests fails, and the leader that fails to inspire public trust and confidence is doomed.

I cannot be blackmailed into silence by fellow Buharists, I will not cower because some think we must allow time, nor will I allow my deep desire to serve under this regime either in the Information Ministry or as Director General  of the National Orientation Agency blind me to the urgency of now. The challenge before us is to make true the promises of CHANGE; it is to make real the promises of democracy and to make Nigeria under the watch of President MohammaduBuhari a great nation; it is to reawaken this sleeping giant to her leadership role in Africa; it is to make the Eagle soar again; it is to overhaul our collective morality; it is to deepen the fabrics of our union; and to strengthen the bedrock of our nationhood.

When we internalize the enormity of the challenge before us; when we realize that it is no longer about the APC or the PDP; when we appreciate that the general election is over, and that Nigeria is the winner; when we judge and assess governmental policies and trust with the scale of justice, equity, fairness and love rather than those of religion, region or partisanship; when we inspire faith in the GREEN WHITE GREEN through commitment to the common good; and when our nationhood counts more than the political correctness of partisan loyalty and interests, then the EAGLE shall soar yet again.God Bless Nigeria.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Prof Chris Nwaokobia Jnr
Director General CHANGE AMBASSADORS OF NIGERIA CAN.

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