By Olakunle Agboola – The sacrifice ‘of’ self for the greater good is the greatest calling imaginable, and it is the bedrock of the greatest nations. The sacrifice ‘for’ self is the most pathetic calling imaginable, and it is the quicksand within which nations perish.
The challenge with Nigeria is not the lack of natural resources or mentally endowed people, but the lack of service and secured leaders who will love the citizen more than their bellies. The first mark of a secured leader is the ability to put others ahead of his personal desires or gain which is the opposite of our political terrain in Nigeria and other part of Africa. It is not in the character of an Insecure leader to empower the citizens or populace but rather make empty promises, pervert, steal or loot the national treasury.
The desire of every Nigerian is to have an uninterrupted power supply, good security, good road network, availability of jobs, good health facilities etc. This should not be campaign promises but a necessity for every citizen to enjoy. The political office is beyond what many of our leaders in this part of the world envisaged. The earlier we started educating their intellect to see that the life of a political leader is a call for service to humanity (the greatest call for mankind) the better it will be for us.
Martin Luther king Junior will forever be on American lips and if for anything, for the service he rendered to retrieve the captive generation behind him. Martin Luther King Jr. was a well-known civil rights leader and activist who had a great deal of influence on American society in the 1950s and 1960s. His strong belief in non-violent protest helped set the tone of the movement. Boycotts, protests and marches were eventually effective and many legislations were passed against racial discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr. worked to promote the equal treatment of all races with his true belief in the ability of mankind to live in peace. This went a long way towards the advancement of civil rights in America. He is the first African American man to be honored by a national holiday.
Nigeria will quickly take her rightful position in the community of nations if only the political positions can be tailored towards growth, development, accountability and selfless service rather than bribery, corruption, nepotism, and misappropriation of funds. Nelson Mandela once said and I quote, ‘The world will never respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The black people of the world are looking up to Nigeria to be a source of pride and confidence. Every Nigerian citizen should be made to understand this truth.
The truth is that Nigeria is the liberation of Africa and the moment she is awake, Africa as a whole is liberated. The awaking is the paradigm shift from the love of political position to the love of the citizen, a dwindling spiral from insecure leaders to secure leaders, a change from lording over people rather than serving people. Albert Schweitzer wisely stated, ‘I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know; the ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve’.
True service communicates true vision. It acts like a magnet-attracting, challenging and uniting people. The greater the service backed up with vision, the more secured leader it has the potential to attract.
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