Steve Nwabuko
I read with shock and trepidation a story credited to Chief Osita Chidoka, a former Minister of Aviation stating that: “Nigeria does not need a good man as President” in a Channels TV talk show.
The truth is that Nigeria always needs the best man or woman as President if growth, development, best practices, excellence, diligence, stability of mind, trust and performance are the defining factors of national service in a country that wants to hold its own in the comity of nations.
Osita Chidoka may not have been a run-of-the-mill core public servant and may have risen to prominence through connections, contacts and recommendations by friends who may have provided him a life line to rise meteorically shortly after graduation from the university to make him discountenance quality graded criteria for service rendition.
He may not be recommending a bad man as President for Nigeria but the snag is that between what is good and what is bad is a stereotype gap that defines worst forms of inept leadership and performance dysfunctions that have become the hallmark of the black race.
The gap between what is good and bad are five dialectical dysfunctions that clug the wheel of progress:
Compromise
Compromise is a shift from what is good to accommodate what is less deserved.
This has always been Nigeria’s leadership nemesis in that a President can be sworn into office without requisite qualifications.
Condescension
Condescension is a less than noble regression to what is obviously wrong and unacceptable as a way of make up to qualify for selection.
It was in Nigeria that a serving Federal Minister of Finance was exposed as having forged NYSC discharge certificate to enable her serve at such high office without fear of contradiction.
Concede
Concede is to give up or voluntarily neglect to act decisively.
When herdsmen attacked Agatu in Benue State and several innocent people were killed in the mayhem, the Federal Government told the Benue State people to concede part of their land to the rampaging herders and stay safe and to consider the herders as their brothers and learn to live peacefully with them.
Contamination
Contamination is mix up with intent to despoil, discredit, or degrade.
When a former Accountant general of the Federation that is supposed to protect government funds steal from it, the entire governance system is contaminated with financial fleece, roguery and malfeasance.
Rather than allow the law take it’s full course, you are giving a thief a life line for plea bargain.
Consumption
Consumption is acquisitiveness to satisfy tendentious materialistic desires that oftentimes does not satisfy but cause craze to want to acquire more and consume it on one’s lusts.
The criminal counter accusations in the public domain between Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC and Atiku Abubakar of PDP, bothers on insatiable prebendal consumption patterns and their craze for political power is situate on lustful luxuriant exuberance.
In contra distinction, Nigeria needs a good man as President to fulfil the following hallowed reasons for human existence:
Productivity
Productivity is creativity by work.
A good man is a highly Productive person.
Profitability
Profitability is gain from work efforts.
The reward of hard work is profit.
A good man is a wealth creator.
Practicality
Practicality is learning, training, process, inundation.
A good man is one that applies his mind to improve himself and remain relevant always.
Apprenticeship, Start-ups, and innovations are the results of growing in practise.
Providential
Providential is provision made in earnest expectation of survival for the future.
The biblical Joseph told his brothers not to cry over their bad behaviour because unknown to them, God providentially sent him to Egypt to preserve a race.
Potentate
Potentate is life’s power for successful existence.
The power and strength of life is work, reason, rationality, sacrifice and worship.
A man’s growth and success in life is tied to his association with divinity and humanity.
We relate with divinity in worship and holiness.
We relate with humanity in reason, rationality and sacrifice.
What is good is always divinely inspired.
What is bad is always carnally premeditated.
In between what is good and what is bad is low life and that is what has kept Nigeria disunited, underdeveloped, retrogressive, and grossly diminished.
Chief Osita Chidoka is absolutely wrong in stating that Nigeria does not need a good man as President.
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and in all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7.
Steve Nwabuko
