2023: Auspicious Political Dispensation For Leaders To Eschew Tortoise’s Leadership Style
Now that Nigerians are at the moment searching for a trusted and credible leader to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office, it appears many of them have forgotten that literarily conveys the needs or rather what the voice of the people is saying to the government are unarguably the lawmakers, political appointees such as Special Assistants, Commissioners and Ministers among other political positions that can be occupied to demonstrate for the people an exceptional facility for meeting governmental objectives and demands.
Besides the presidential position, it appears Nigerians are unaware that other positions slated to be contested for at the general elections in February 2023 are of equal importance, and also veritable pedestal for leaders to mount on to meet the infrastructural needs and expectations of the people. They are no doubt political positions that deserve to be occupied by credible politicians. Against the foregoing backdrop, it suffices to lay down a fair and honest basis for voting credible lawmakers to power. How can credible cum untrustworthy politicians be known ahead of the general elections? The answer to the foregoing cannot be farfetched when those whose personalities have being blighted by baggage are negatively brought under the klieg lights of the media so as to weaken their chances of emerging as leaders, the credible ones applauded, and brought to the attention of the electorates.
For the sake of clarity, a representative government is a type of government that comprises of politicians who represent certain individuals or groups. In most cases, these representatives are voted for by the citizens through a democratic process. The National Assembly, for instance, and which is undeniably Bi-Camera in composition, is one of the instruments of governance that is been used to operate representative governments because the politicians represent people from different parts of the country in the political arena.
Without any iota of exaggeration, politics is a mediating force, and also often the catalyst for the most important changes in the society. In fact, political leadership plays a key role in developing dynamic economy through partnership. For good governance that is people-oriented to prevail, high political skill will be required if the social and infrastructural problems thrown up by rapid growth and changing society are to be worked through. It is therefore surprising that nobody cares if capable or incapable representatives are elected into power come the general elections slated for February 2023. Moreover, it is sad that since the last few days when the media space became agog with stories that revolve around the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Yahaya Bello, Dave Umahi, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Dele Momodu and Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi who have announced their bids to run for the 2023 Presidency, that nobody is talking about other political positions that would be contested for in the same election.
To put this piece in an explanatory perspective, it will not be out of place to say that the continuous Tortoise politics that those that are voted to occupy various positions, particularly at the Legislative arm of government at the Federal, State and Local government levels is detrimental to the development of Nigeria from all ramifications.
Again, politicians who claim they represent the people in government erroneously think that politics is just about gaining favorable mention in the media and gallivanting all over town. To keep such “Olodo” politicians informed, it is expedient to say that delivering dividends of democracy in a material sense, is equally about providing redress for anger and injustice. Ironically, although politicians are often blamed for what goes wrong, it is to politics that people always look to have things put right.
Politics and politicians, therefore, must be credible and clearly accountable. The ever-increasing pace of change will require people of the highest caliber and the highest integrity in public life.
Recent revelations have deeply disturbed people's confidence in the political system. In response, the people are now been very meticulous in trusting politicians with their votes, particularly those that has weighty baggage of scandals.
Against the foregoing backdrop, politicians who are variously representing the people at local government headquarters, state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), should not allow the people to continue seeing them in bad light, and above all they should not allow the people lose hope in their collective ability to rejuvenate the economy in conjunction with the executive and judicial arms of the government.
To make politicians that were elected into offices to represent the people understand why they should be involved in the process of delivering the benefits that are inherent in good governance to the people, and by extension making Nigeria better, it is appropriate to cite a fairytale that revolves around the Tortoise and other animals when grinding recession occurred in the animal kingdom.
The tale goes thus: The grass shriveled up and turned pale grey. Rivers and pools dried up. All day long animals scurried around looking for food and finding nothing. Mr. Tortoise was getting desperate. Every day he woke up to the sound of his wife and children crying. One day, while he was gallivanting about the countryside looking for food he knew he would not find, he mobilized other animals, and they all went to seek help from the elephant who in the fairytale was considered to be a philantopist. Before they proceeded to see the philanthropist, they decided to adopt aliases markedly for identification purpose whenever they visit the elephant for assistance. Each of the animals that went with Tortoise, being the leader, to visit the Elephant cut across Rabbit, Grass cutter, Antelope, Deer, among others. Each of them adopted an alias as agreed for ease of identification whenever they are with the Elephant as he was approached for the umpteenth time before Mr. Tortoise whose alias was “All of you” met his waterloo.
As the story goes, each time the animals went to see the Elephant for handouts, the Elephant will package the whole handouts together, and scream, “This is for all of you”. By virtue of Mr. Tortoise’s alias being “All of you”, he will rush out from the gathering, and collect both the gifts meant for others and himself. When the rest of the animals complained, he will furiously charge at them, and ask, is your name “All of you?” However, Tortoise kept shortchanging his fellow compatriots in the animal kingdom until they protested and severally smashed him against the rock which he survived. Folktale has it that the gory incident led to Tortoise, till today, carrying about an uneven shell.
The dubious negotiating power of the Tortoise as analyzed in the foregoing has remained a magnum opus as it, to a large extent, defines the narcissistic scope leaders can go in betraying their followers or use the collective plight of their followers to curry favors from the power that be, and even personalize Constituency as if it is part of their remuneration.
At this juncture, anyone that is familiar with the foregoing folktale would be tempted to ask, “Are political leaders adopting tortoise negotiating style to deceive Nigerians?”
The foregoing question cannot be said to be out of place as not few Nigerians are insinuating in their comments that political office holders are converting monies meant for the people to develop their families and kindred to the detriment of the electorates. Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to advise that as 2023 beckons that it is auspicious at the forthcoming political dispensation for political leaders to eschew tortoise’s leadership style.