Baba-Fast-Fast: Jagaban Modern Era Nehemiah -By Richard Odusanya

Nehemiah was always asking God to provide a vision for him. He understood that a true vision must come from God. It must be a God-inspired and God-revealed vision. Only such a vision is worthy of leadership. The prophet Nehemiah provides modern-day leaders with a wonderful model of leadership. Upon learning of the distress of his people, Nehemiah receives permission from the king he was serving to go help them. Despite obstacles and opposition, he discerns a challenging vision and leads the people in the accomplishment of the task.

While Nehemiah was the leader who first articulated the vision, the people confirmed the vision and committed themselves to the task. The gifts of all were required to achieve the vision. Accomplishing the vision was not easy. Divisions and hard feelings, combined with outside opposition, made faithfulness very difficult. Yet, Nehemiah and the people persevered faithfully, though not perfectly. These are some lessons we might learn from Nehemiah’s leadership example. Hence the title, “Baba Fast Fast: Jagaban Modern Era Nehemiah” fits the narratives as we begin to examine the less than a hundred days of President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Unity Trinity’ era.

Admittedly, a nation progresses or regresses on the quality and values of its leadership. When the then vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, assured Nigerians that if elected, the Bola Tinubu administration would be inclusive, just, and fair to all Nigerians, irrespective of tribal, religious, or political affiliation. Shettima, posited: “We’ll Be Equitable, Just, Inclusive If Elected. We need to build a new nation because the hope of the black man is in Nigeria. The onus is on us to secure the future of our children yet unborn.”

“I want to assure Nigerians that we are going to be just and fair to all Nigerians. We are going to be all-inclusive because no society can strive for injustice. Ours will be an all-encompassing, all-embracing government. We will build a country of our dreams, where people are judged by their character, irrespective of their political affiliations, religious persuasions, sectional or tribal ground.” It is thus, imperative that when we conduct ourselves, being just and equitable citizens, a worthy leader would naturally emerge from our midst.

Kashim Shettima: the accidental governor who is now Nigeria’s vice president in the above message was very clear and leaves no one in doubt about the making of our own story of Nehemiah. Surprisingly or so to say, Nigerians in their millions are beginning to rethink the difference between the personalities and attributes of the new leadership under President Bola Tinubu and the previous. In less than a month, the new sheriff has effectively stamped his authority firmly on the polity to the extent of global acknowledgments with the sobriquet “Baba fast fast”

Although, Herbert Spencer, an English polymath, phycologist, noted philosopher, sociologist, biologist, and political theorist of the Victorian era, countered that the Great Man Theory was childish, primitive, and unscientific. He believed leaders were products of their environment. He advocated that before a “great man” can remake his society, society has to make him. Over the course of history, we have seen examples of great leaders who shape how people view the world and remould their sense of self-worth – Mind Restructuring.

Regrettably, however, most good leaders don’t buy into their followers’ idealized images of them. But even leaders who are reasonably self-aware can become victims of illusion. Leaders who emerge from within a group have the ability to influence other teammates positively. Team members accept and welcome them because of their influence within the organization and the skills they offer as a leader. They have respect from their peers because they seek the input of others, which helps them maintain credibility as a leader.

Thankfully, the President has hit the ground running; unlike his predecessors particularly @Mbuhari in the recent past eight years ago who spent a whole six months not knowing what to do and couldn’t form a government, and when he eventually, it was a complete failure. Apart from the controversial fuel subsidy issue, the student loan act, and the sacking of the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele a public office holder with a mindset of terrorist. Liberalization of electric power generation, harmonization of the retirement age of senior Judges.

Furthermore, the EFCC boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa saga, the collapse of the parallel markets, and the dissolution of all the boards and some agencies will either be merged or scrapped completely. Meanwhile, the new administration under President Bola Tinubu in his appointments so far have been more inclusive than his predecessors particularly the immediate past administration under President Buhari; in the circumstances, he must have heard the cries of marginalization of some section of the country and the crass nepotism of his predecessor who is an unrepentant hardliner in religion and ethnic jingoism. So far, so good! It is a good start.

This is a major step for Nigeria, when will this be cascaded down to the state level? It is time for the government to begin to roll out policies that will quickly jumpstart and revive the economy. 4th Industrial Revolution on my mind: factories, industries, and many of our institutions of technological innovations must be revived to provide jobs for our youths. The examples of the Zaria ‘Aviation College’ and many others are issues of concern. It could attract direct foreign investment which is capable of mitigating the “JAPA SYNDROME” of our citizens.

To conclude, I quote MAHATMA GANDHI: “We are too near the scene of the tragedy to realize that this canker or untouchability has traveled far beyond its prescribed limits and has sapped the very foundation of the whole nation.” Our leaders have been too reckless and plundering resources and squandering riches including the very recent corrupt tendencies typically characterized by the impunity of our public officeholders and their private sector conspirators. Mr President Sir! With all humility I join our citizens in praying to God to grant you the courage to pull through and also wish Your Excellency the speed of light in the task ahead. There must be punishment for unwholesome behaviors.

Richard Odusanya

Mind Restructuring Enthusiast.