By Isiaka Kehinde
“The pessimist complaints about the wind, the optimist expects it to change and both envisage a leader to adjust the sail.”
A leader is a dealer in hope. He should be primed to cast vision of his people, nurture their dreams, fondle their expectations, rub their ego, do their thinking and must be right at all times to be scored alright . A leader must be a problem solver and much more. Oh, there is a funny caveat added by Napoleon Bonaparte, which I think is instructive here, “a leader is he who must HAPPILY carry the burden of his responsibility.” See the stress on the word “happily.”
All the foregoing only extrapolate who a leader is, it’s even dirt cheap to be a leader than to be a good leader, let alone being a great one. Only a cynical person will doubt the fact that Engr Oluseyi Makinde, the Oyo State Governor-elect is a great leader. He is even light miles ahead a good leader. He doesn’t merely chart vision as innovative leaders, he sparkles hope and works strenuously to translate the vision to a reality.
At a dinner organised in his honour last Sunday at Jogor Center, he left no one in doubt of a true mark of a leader who is willing to make a mark. He portrays himself as a leader who is not ready to entertain complaints or bogged down by the apparent landmines laid on his path by the incumbents. He must have read and internalised that golden advice of Ralph Wado Emerson “Do not follow where the path may lead, go where there is no path and leave a trail…” That’s a leader and a pathfinder and a nobody’s soft touch. An original, not a photo copy, the GSM.
But what about this high expectations from the electorates who wants a change at a dizzying speed? Even at the event, the visceral reactions of the people and a common denominator is wanting a change, wanting it fast. The students body are pining for a new government’ that will “properly fund education”, the health sector managers want good remuneration that will ginger improved service delivery, the people want to be sleeping with their two eyes closed, yearn for better infrastructure, a boon in agriculture and much more.
Yet, throughout the session of the interface with the governor-elect, nobody touched on the crippling cost of running a good government’ nor mooted idea on how IGR will be boosted concomitantly. If my guess is right, quite a few attendees spared a thought on the part every individual must play for the state to flourish, but all eyes are on GSM to “happily carry the burden of his and their responsibilities.” That’s the sordid aspect of leadership. Is it not better for individuals themselves that they suffer and the state flourish than for them to flourish and the State suffer? That’s the question once raised by Pericles. Your answer is as good as mine. May GSM succeed.
To be continued.
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