Nigeria’s Leaders and Losers by Ms. Ibilola Omodara
by ahjotnaija
Ms. Ibilola Omodara is a Master student at the prestigious RUB-School of Economics in Germany. She is a passionate advocate for economic and political renewal in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
A leader possesses the social influence to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task (usually a task of improving lives of people and their environment). Social influence required to inspire others takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion. On the other hand, losers are individuals that exhibit characteristics which are directly opposite to the qualities of good leaders.
Nigeria needs ethical leaders who can exhibit qualities of good leadership to ensure a functioning and sustainable economy which is obtainable in the developed countries. According to researchers, for a stable economy, macroeconomic objectives (Sustainability, Price stability, Full employment, External balance, equitable distribution of income, Increase productivity, Thermal equilibrium.) are crucial.
Oftentimes, I wonder whether leaders exist in NIGERIA, based on past experience with the leaders of this supposedly great nation considering her natural endowment. Thinking about leaders in Nigeria, a country popularly known as the Giant of Africa, It is evident that the past and current predicaments result from parading sets of unfocused leaders. They are best called losers instead.
What does one expect from a nation, group of people, and organization with a confused leadership, particularly leaders who lack essential basic knowledge needed for stable and sustainable economy? The type of leaders we have are those who we are rather called losers because they only promote corruption, unemployment, poverty, gross misconduct, unlawful negligence, and abuse of public offices.
Near-political instability which is a major hinderance to socio-economic development in the country can be linked to misinterpretation of leadership. These losers see leadership as means to oppress and to humiliate their fellow country(wo-)men. It is obvious that these sets of leaders with this barbaric interpretation of leadership can only contribute negatively to the already masticated economy of the country.
Despite the availability of natural resources in Nigeria, it is very painful to note that no sector of the economy performs to expectation. The socio-economic situation of the country remains perpetually at the downside. One cannot imagine that a country of such resources (sixth largest oil exporter) with huge population can continue to live below poverty line. This results apparently from lack of good, focused and committed leadership.
With the ongoing squandering of the benefits of her enormous oil reserves by the successive unfocused leaders and their inability to develop other sectors, it is doubtful if Nigeria would be able to survive without oil.
I am of the opinion that if the current insensitivity to the lingering leadership challenges in Nigeria is not addressed both at local and international level, the result might not be palatable for the entire black race and the world at large in the nearest future.
I challenge global leaders to extend their social influences to developing trustworthy leaders in Nigeria as the largest humanitarian aid in place of various financial aids that has always left the country worse off.
Political and historical antecedent of the country reveals that successive bad leaders (losers) always give birth to worse leaders as replacement for themselves. If left unchecked, one can conclude that the trend is capable of dragging the country to her early grave. This would certainly leave the entire world with an indelible injury.
ajagunna 