Acts Can Mean More Than On Face Value

Acts Can Mean More Than On Face Value; Errors with Many Political Leaders.

Around 20^th Sept 2021 and afterward, many rejoinders and opinions were put on Nigeria media cum public domain by the reason of defecting from the opposition party PDP to the ruling party APC of Femi Fani-Kayode aka FFK, a former Minister of Aviation, former PDP, who uttered terrible, unprintable and unpardonable things against the Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari before his defection that period.

As we’ve heard severally especially according to Femi Adesina, the media aide and President’s spokesman, “Fani-Kayode had received mercy and forgiveness from the Nigerian leader”.

Nigerians had publicly criticized FFK for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) that week, not that defecting is a big deal in Nigeria politics, after all a former senator, Sani Shehu defected from his party to PDP same time, BUT the depth and intensity of FFK criticisms.

According to Femi Adesina in his statement; “Between last week and now, vitriol poured by FFK on anybody with the slightest affinity to APC has been dug up serially”.

According to SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK, SEP 23, 2021, Adesina further stated that Fani-Kayode said things straight from the gutters, things that the natural man would call unforgivable and unpardonable.

Adesina is not alone in his thoughts and words. He’s humane and civil in expressing FFK disposition as he saw it.

The Implications for Leadership and Leaders

Leaders are 100% normal men and can feel like others. But leaders do certain things differently. That’s why leaders bear burdens. They’re burden bearers, dealers in hope. Despite the fact leaders are men, they do things differently. Why? Every action (whether good or bad) of a leader has far more far-reaching consequences to things, to the led, and to those who look upon the leader, more than the leader can imagine. The leader not knowing that amounts to leader error of presumptuousness.

Femi Adesina, Fani Kayode, President Buhari, APC/PDP/other parties’ chieftains are all leaders of some spheres – indisputable and unarguable. The action of FFK which he is entitled to leaves us with these 12+ lessons as leaders and followers. These leaders’ acts can mean more than on the face value; errors with many political leaders. A few of them are;

1. no leader may know the extent of the following he/she has, FFK inclusive.
2. leaders may not know the damages their actions can cause when they mislead their followings or misbehave.
3. leaders don’t talk anyhow, especially when he or she is not established financially and content-wise so that never will his INTEREST drive him or her to go back to his/her vomit.
4. criticism is never a solution. Criticism is not right for a leader, better do a critique.
5. leaders should set up a strong business(es) that can make them see governance as a call to service, not as employment. Early 1990s some missionaries from the US came to Nigeria and encouraged some of us leaders interested in ministry to establish businesses that would flourish so that as Leaders we would preach the gospel boldly without looking at people’s money because of poverty. They said that applies to anyone who wants to lead others. This is one of the reasons GNLD entered Nigeria and I was among the first set of 20 Nigerians they talked to. I’m sure many GNLD people don’t know this!
6. true, yes true leaders as a matter of integrity don’t shift ground on their convictions and commitment just like that.
7. without convictions to serve and to stand by what the leader believes to be right; the leader is doomed to live for his belly – what Nigerians call stomach infrastructure!
8. without the same convictions in #7, the lead is not following the right person.
9. one of the worst degradations in life if not the worst is for ONE TO EAT HIS FAECES, DRINK HIS URINE or RETURN TO HIS VOMIT. No leader-material attempts so, instead he or she leaves the position. After all, true leadership starts from level 2: Relational leadership, not level 1: Positional leadership. Only in Nigeria do people drink their urine, eat their feces, and take their vomit only to be relevant economically.
10. character is the acid-litmus test for testing leadership, it’s not education, not eloquence, not beauty/handsome, not stature/elegance, not ‘agbada’/suit not even moneybags. Our media and most of us are misled by these.
11. leaders imposed discipline on themselves, refusing the dirty porridge instead of returning to their vomit.
12. the led should not be quick in concluding people as their leaders. Again, it comes back to poverty, when 60+ of the population are living below the poverty ceiling, what do you expect? Any meal giver becomes a “lord”, my boss, my Lord, etc. Why? You’re hungry and need, not that he had led/bossed/lorded you once.

Wow, truism it is: acts can mean more than on face value; errors with many political leaders.

Mike Ihezuo is a Leadership Authority, a non-conformist Thinker, a Life Coach, an Author/Writer, and a Speaker. Click to CONTACT him.