HOW EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE CAN LIBERATE NIGERIA, BY ONYIA

NIGERIA will become a First World country, if education providers, teachers, leaders, professionals and all citizens are emotionally intelligeny, according to Chief Executive Officer of ZOLTS Limited, Mr. Chike Onyia.

Speaking at the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Forum of Corona School Trust Council (CSTC), held at Pan-African University, Lagos recently, Onyia, who doubles as a parent and keynote speaker at the forum, insisted that lack of emotional intelligence has been responsible for developmental holdup and political instability in the country.

He stated that practicing the four competencies in 'Emotional Intelligence' (EI), which consists of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management, would revolutionise the thinking faculty of Nigerians, thereby bringing in the right attitude to social issues and development.

Onyia, who believed that the problem does not lie in getting the best education, also maintained that hitherto, the best in academics are not the group producing the best results, rather those, who are emotionally intelligent, those who can effectively manage their emotions and control their responses to challenging issues.

In his view, if school owners, teachers, parents, politicians, leaders, church leaders, professionals in diverse fields are Emotionally Intelligent, the younger and future generation, will be much better 'as they will toe in our paths and follow our attitude to issues.'

His words, 'EI will make us better Nigerians. With self-awareness we will appreciate ourselves and become better managers of our emotions, which will in turn enhance our relationships as husband/wife, teacher/pupils, parents/child, presidents/citizens and also co-workers. It is almost like a golden rules, treating each other fairly.'

'With self management, you will realise that bribery and corruption is killing this country and you will want to apply the golden rule. With social awareness, you as a leader should be able to understand the social problems of the citizens. If you have empathy for the whole citizens, things will be all right. It has nothing to do with first class or knowledge rather it is empathy. Also If we have good relationship management, even if we are opponents, I cannot plan for an assassination of my opponent, we will conduct a fair election.'

'So EI is a serious gap in this country, we lay so much emphasis on academics that it is so much overrated, if academics were going to make us successful, Nigeria will compete with China and become world class. It is not about the knowledge you acquire, but how you applied it, and this has become an anomaly in this country.  So in my opinion, a lot of Nigerians are not really educated because you haven't learn anything until you practice it.'

Describing EI as a differentiator, he noted that people seeking to be emotional intelligent, must be aware of their emotions and be able to control them effectively, be open to objective feedback, have a positive outlook and have ability to adapt in a changing situations.'

Meanwhile, the PTA Chairman of the school, Mr. Chima Diaku has in his remark, noted that being EI is a necessity for every school if the aim of setting up institutions is to be achieved. Parents, he added, should not be left out, as 'whatever teaching that happens in school that is not translated or enforced at home is incomplete, so once the home practices and catches it right, the effect is maximum.'

If our today's graduates were EI, the rate of unemployment wouldn't have been high. There are job opportunities in this country, but it seems they all have a particular mindset. Studies have shown that there is something else like icing in the cake that accounts for success that is lacking in them, and that is EI. It distinguishes average candidates, and that is why our politicians are throwing chairs at each other at the National Assembly, they lack EI.'