The greatest companies in the world do not just meet the needs and expectations of their customers, they go for their perceptions. Great politicians also master the business of perception. Category-king enterprises turn customers into fans just like great politicians elevate the minds and aspirations of a people.
Yes, an unbounded future where the goalpost is a mathematical asymptote, a continuum towards the imaginary infinity. In 2023, Nigeria needs a GREAT leader who can make the people dream bigger than themselves.
Nigeria is looking for a leader, from the local to the highest. Our moments of glory are daily passing, because men are shadowing the sun from shining upon one of the most favored people on earth. We have oil, but we enjoy the darkness. We have engineers, but they have no bitumen to fix roads. We have accountants, but they have no sales records to reconcile. We have doctors, but those that pay them are never their customers. We have teachers, but they are locked out of labs and libraries with no funding. Yet, the government is busy. Busy for what?
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But we are Nigerians. We are of the same blood as Achebe, Soyinka, Azikiwe, King Jaja, Ahmadu, Bayero and other heroes current and past. We are Nigerians – smart, ingenious and optimists. We want a leader who has demonstrated the capacity to rally the nation in honesty, hard work and raise our imaginations beyond where we are for a better future. A leader that can engineer a transformation for our nation with bigger and larger dreams that generations of Nigerians will unite for. He is born a Nigerian and belongs to Nigerians but to none.
A leader who can create a society to engage our brightest minds in government by evolving a new political system designed to seriously solve problems. A person who can engineer Nigeria into rebirth and restoration to offer a prosperous nation that is colorful, fluidic, vibrant and open for change. Yes, a person of immense intelligence, competence, pragmatism, and unimpeachable.
A person of integrity, broad knowledge, enormous vision and solid experience; one that can stimulate more vibrancy in the private sector and move the public sector out of its stasis. With that leadership, Nigeria will witness changes in trade, education, and commerce as a battalion of knowledge workers emerges to give us the needed clout in the global arena.
I am looking for that leader. And I know in this great nation and even greater people, they abound. I am searching for a leader for Nigeria. Have you seen one?
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You are asking for too much, and I don’t think we can get anyone with all these qualities, you don’t even need all of them to be effective here, because our demands are largely pedestrian; it’s not too difficult to wow Nigerians. Why is it not too difficult to wow Nigerians? Because we have experienced misgovernance and mediocrity to the point that any leader who tries to excel in the basics is seen as the new Jesus, we are that ordinary for now.
Think about how you feel when energy companies keep power uninterrupted for 48 hours, you begin to get somewhat uncomfortable, because it’s not normal, and you start wondering if the power will be restored whenever it eventually goes off. This is just one example of how people’s psyches have been badly beaten, to the point of embracing anomalies as a way of life…
Where do we start from? Whoever wishes to lead Nigerians must possess great communication skills, both in listening and speaking, because once you communicate confusion, our people will be confused, and there will be chaos everywhere.
What else? A blend of moral soundness and competence. The first is non negotiable, because you may possess great skills with solid experience but remain a crook, a very dishonest creature.