S.O.S ALIEME

What is security? This question appears to be rhetorical but in the real sense of it, it is not. Nigerians have been going through hell when it comes to insecurity.  Going through my dictionary, I found security to be an important concept which man must be aware of. Security, in its broadest sense, refers to the state of being protected from danger, risk, or threat. It encompasses various forms, including physical safety, information protection, and financial security. Essentially, it’s about ensuring freedom from harm, anxiety, or uncertainty. 

Nigerians are united by the desire to have good governance, ensure justice and equity for all and fight insecurity, this can only be achieved through good sense of justice.  Nigerian politicians are full of whims and caprices through which they outwit each other.  Why is it that some Nigerians kill other Nigerians with impunity? The build-up to the 2023 elections gives the impression that some people are out to destroy Nigeria. Nigerian politicians, in their diabolically deadly intrigues, pretend to love Nigeria, but are actually plotting her descent into bloody disintegration.  The issues of Boko Haram and murderous herdsmen are yet to be given the attention they deserve, making some Nigerians to be refugees on their home land.

When will Nigerians stop hurting Nigeria? Is it not incontrovertibly true that Nigerians are their own worst enemies? Are destroyers of Nigeria not Nigerians? Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman Philosopher and Political Theorist, put it more lucidly: “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.” When will Nigerians stop hurting Nigeria?

Recent political developments in Nigeria have unearthed the true depth of the underlying spirit of her nationhood. It has also put to a simple test, the character of our political leaders; who are supposed to be advocates of sound security culture. But as it is now, the parochial interests of the nation’s political, tribal, and religious leaders have made nonsense of the character of sound political leadership as prescribed in every healthy presidential democracy. It is most absurd to note that the political class has shamelessly turned Nigeria’s democracy on its head. This sad development is a clear demonstration that the noble democratic culture of good governance has been deliberately drowned in the pool of negative political scheming.

It is indeed a solid fact that the current political tension in the country is mainly as a result of an avoidable clash between forces of democracy and that of tribal interests. History is starring at us; as we dance naked in the market square.

Power belongs to God. He gives power to whoever that pleases Him. God also takes away power whenever it pleases Him. One is therefore forced to wonder why people see and treat power with a “do-or-die” attitude. Perhaps, one should emphasize here that the basic aim of political power is to improve the lives of man and society through quality leadership. If that is the case, why are all the fire and brimstone flying all over the place? It points to the fact that many people seek political power for reasons other than offering quality leadership. That is why it is uncommon for public servants in Nigeria to resign from office no matter the circumstances. Just as Nigeria is bigger than any one individual or political party; the presidency is by far greater than a president.

 

Most times, both military and political leaders are tempted to see themselves as sources of power. This accounts for why many public officers use power as if it were their personal property. Through this way, power is most times abused by those in authority. Many Nigerians believe that they are cursed with bad leaders and that’s what is preventing them from moving forward in economic and security development. Thus, they keep praying and hoping for the day when good leaders would come to rescue them. Hope springs eternally in the human heart, they say.

 

In the meantime, when given the opportunity to elect good leaders, Nigerians invariably elect what they themselves call crummy leaders; their legislators and executives at Abuja and the various state governing circles are said to be clueless leaders.  Clearly, Nigeria has a leadership problem. But instead of hoping for good leaders to drop out of the sky and do the needful thing why can’t every Nigerian become a good leader? Why can’t each Nigerian become the good leader he is yearning for? Are we saying our leaders do not know where the so called Boko Haram reside? Our armed forces is regarded as the most reputable in the whole world. Nigeria can boast of experienced military men who can hold their heads up in the comity of nations. But security is being politicized. What do we do with the security votes being entrenched in the budget every passing year?

Nigerian leaders see their important offices as what makes them important persons; their desire for prestige makes them seek public offices; to be called president or governor or senator etc. makes the Nigerian feel prestigious. The Nigerian leader does not derive sense of importance from the good works that he actually does for the people but from merely seeming a very publicly important person.

Our leaders are negative leaders; negative leaders are self-centered and corrupt leaders. Positive leaders, on the other hand, seek public offices because of their desire to serve the people; they see problems and want to solve them; they want public office to use it to serve the people; they are servant leaders, not just important persons. Positive leaders are humble human beings who serve their people whereas negative leaders are egotistical persons chasing after their ego shadows.

True leaders set goals, visions, dreams, objectives and purposes to which they are working towards their attainment. They get followers to help them in attaining the vision they set for their society or work organization. Nigerians construe leadership in global terms; they see leaders as their president or governor.

 

Actually, that is not only how leaders are construed. Leaders are found in the family, in the work place, in education, in community organizations and in just about every unit of society. You do not have to be the president to be a leader; you can be a leader in your family, your Church, your school, and your community social organizations and so on.

Leaders are found in most action arenas, not just in politics. Leaders are persons who see problems in their world and want to solve them; they come up with goals and objectives that in their opinions can solve the problems they identified; they are motivated by the purpose of solving the problems they see around them; they are goal and task oriented and usually are good at interpersonal relationships, for goals are achieved through people.

God Bless Nigeria!!!