By Isah Aliyu Ciroma
I once listened to elderly people talking about politics when I was a teenager, listening to them from the depths of memory. I recalled being taught about the traits of a good leader in school. I am aware that the importance of this subject warrants an endless discussion, but pressing the start button would spark the inner flame of hope, prompting us to search carefully for a leader who possesses some leadership qualities.
We are more concerned with who understands the path well enough to run the country than we are with the never-ending discussion of who should be in charge. In order to see what can be beneficial to us as citizens, we need to make a right move to cut through the webs that have obscured our sense of vision. This vision has given birth to many dreams of a better country, but we always seem to wake up with heavy hearts and hopes that hang in the air like a pendulum lamp. Our heavy hearts are held together by a string of hope that has been twisted and stretched beyond its limit for a long time. What are you assuming?
We felt as though we were sinking deeper into an ocean without knowing the depth. However, at this point, everything is as bright, still, and clear as it is today. We all make decisions differently, and those decisions may be good or poor, but what is more important for us as citizens is to put those differences aside and pick a leader who can guide our nation to prosperity.
Why has the subject of leadership become so crucial? Because it is now clear how a leader’s style of leadership can affect people’s lives. How a good leader can impact people’s lives for the better in the long run. Everything revolves around leadership. When you have team members who can have what it takes to help a leader enact changes from the lower levels of the people up to the upper levels, the change would be achieved. Change is essential, but only a competent leader who is prepared for the role; wants to serve his people would take the necessary steps to solve certain pressing issues. This prompts me to discuss several crucial traits of a leader, I believe everyone who possesses them is the leader we need.
The law of the lid, as coined by John Maxwell, states that an individual’s efficacy determines their capacity for leadership. People will esteem leadership more if they recognize your effectiveness. Great leaders have been documented throughout history from many perspectives and with various leadership philosophies, but they all shared one quality in common: the capacity and efficacy to dominate. The fact that a leader comes from a distant part of a nation to become president of a nation is quite astonishing.
On Wednesday, I was in Shagari Local Government of Sokoto State and I was contemplating how someone from a far-off village in the North might enter the political market and lead a nation like Nigeria. Any person can excel no matter where you come from.
The awful part is that during election season, we neglect to make our votes count and choose to sell them to the highest bidder. I don’t want to imply that everyone buys votes or sells his votes, but some people do it frequently. That is one of our biggest weaknesses as a group of people. Over the years, the leaders take advantage of that weakness they found. When we demonstrate to our leaders our ideals and significance as those who must be controlled, the ruler would feel compelled to bow to our pressure because he is aware of the repercussions of his decision.
Necessary as it is to convince leaders about our importance because they will come to us in any case requiring our votes. On the other hand, one cannot help but notice that certain politicians and leaders are much more concerned with their whims and caprices, and are willing to do whatever it takes to advance their interests once they come to power. Again, without a change in our views as citizens and our political environment, this issue cannot be changed. Even the voiceless would agree in a place where the voices of the people are muffled. On the other hand, some leaders demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities, leaving behind tangible legacies for others to imitate.
The best leaders, are those who are aware of the issues facing the populace and are able to suggest and work towards solutions. It appears that we have capable leaders, but we unfortunately gave them a chance without holding them accountable for their wrongdoing. The leaders we require must be identified. A leader who prioritizes the needs of his followers, who gets worried when they are in need, and who checks on their well-being before they approach him. We have what it takes to elect the leaders are ready to govern our beloved nation and meet our needs.
Our failure of us to have the leader we desire depends on us, and is a result of how we shape our future and the future of the next generation. This denial of a better life is characterized by broken promises, and it is a characteristic of our political culture. This is the key issue, and we must change it while we still can. As the days go by, we must gather on the streets in large numbers to cast our ballots and choose our destiny.