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A few hours ago about 4 hours to be precise, the new British Prime Minister held a meeting with his newly constituted cabinet and conspicuous among his aides is his younger brother Jo Johnson. Yes you read right Jo Johnson who occupies a very “juicy” position in the “new government” as a minister of state at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This happened without a certain outcry of nepotism and desire for a dynasty by the Johnsons to be created.
A quick look into history will furnish us with the fact that it is not the first time that such has occured in the advanced climes that brought to us the democracy we so cherish today and have served the roles of big brother in ensuring we tow the path of true democracy.
The families of the Kennedies and the Bushes are a few of the families across the world who have done this and has left the countries where they governed even better. Leadership is not about whose affinity or relation is at the helm of affairs but how well he or she is able to galvanize and utilize all resources in his “caretakership” both human and every other to the betterment of the populace. After all beneficiaries do not carry the label of whom they have benefitted from.
In Nigeria we have seen how this same matter have repeated it selves from the north to the South with families such as the the Tinubus in the west; Ibrus in the south and Yaraduas in the north have in their own ways bettered the lot of their people and outstanding amongst them is the Yaraduas whose contribution to democracy and subsequent gains in the entrenchment of democracy cannot be over emphasised – we all are withnesses to the wondrous manner the government of the latter has proven that Nigeria was able to do good and in the path of development.
Now the question is why is it difficult for us in Kogi state to come to terms and agree with a candidate whose only crime is that he was furtunate to have a father who is an ex-governor, one whose bar and record set in achievements of development has not been matched talk more of broken by any successive government?
Rather than celebrate the fact that such a person has not fallen far from the tree in achievements, we have chosen to question the rationale of such a noble venture to not only develop our dear state but also surpass his fathers achievements just like the African proverb states every child sits on the shoulder of his father, which tells us that every child is expected to stand taller than their father and every father wants his child to surpass him.
I have no iota of doubt or second guessing that this gentle man in person of Alh. Abubakar Idris is set to not only match his father in the prowess of development but also surpass that bar, and this gentle men and ladies is not rocket science but evident in the antecedents set by this gentle man and his predisposition towards his followers which was exhibited in no small measure during the just concluded PDP Congress, of all other candidates he stayed till the last minute. If you don’t see a leader in this single action and others he has exhibited then I leave you to the woes of bad leadership.
*ADESOJI A. ADESINA*