“Confidence… thrives on honesty, on honour, on sacredness of obligation, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it can’t live.” – Franklin Roosevelt
The above integral and essential components or ingredients of good and effective leadership mentioned in the statement once issued by the former American President Franklin Roosevelt, are what are real, actual and existing only on the lips of contemporary leaders particularly ours, and completely vanished in their own hearts. In the side of our own leaders, great responsibility had since been played down, obligation turned into a child play, commitment to deliver on their campaign promises has transmuted into an option, taking responsibility of their numerous failures is inessential, outpouring of compassionate words that can slightly console the led in times of severe pain cause by their bad leadership like “we have failed but we are sorry” is just a mere choice.
It’s in this jungle named Nigeria we just wake up in one black morning and suddenly had a sitting governor say, “I am not the chief security officer of the state.” Recall the first governor that publicly opposed N30,000 minimum wage and the first to cry publicly that his N10 million life monthly pension wasn’t paid to him.
Of course, I am talking about the former Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari. But the funnything is that, the cold-hearted dude had the effrontery not to inform the federal government to withhold or stop releasing that fraudulent fund -security votes to Zamfara state under his leadership until the state produces the one that can bear the burden and accept the responsibility of his actions and inactions. This is how irresponsibility, coldheartedness and selfishness of our leaders reached its apogee.
Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, I feel duty bound to remind you at this juncture that, our dear brother, social media personality, government critic and a lecturer at the Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Abubakar Idris a.k.a Dadiyata, is still missing for more than four months now. He was taken away along with his BMW vehicle by unknown persons on August 2, 2019, at about 1:00am at his residence in Barnawa, Kaduna. Lack of information about his whereabouts has aroused series of veiled and oblique remarks. This ugly scenario has blackened your reputation as the chief security officer of the state because it happened as a result of your failure to guarantee safety of lives and property.
Even a yet to be born child knows that you are fully in charge of the resources of our beloved state but in terms of security of lives and property which should have been the first item in the agenda of any sane and serious leader, it seems like you have absconded or you are in a long recess or perhaps you are in comatose. I thought you are elected Kaduna state governor to serve all – Muslims, Christians, pagans, APCs, PDPs, your ardent fans and your critics, your admirers and your haters, your lovers and your enemies.
As a leader, I thought you will have a social conscience, and selflessness, humanitarianism and compassion will be your favourite virtues. Unfortunately, your indifference demonstrated towards the case of our dear brother, Dadiyata, shows otherwise. What you seemed to have forgotten is everyone in Kaduna state has a right over you, and whatever happens to anyone either as a result of your numerous failures or not, you must give an account. Taking the oath of office or leadership in general has gone beyond controlling resources, awarding contracts and paying salaries.
A genuine leader who knows the arduous burden of leadership, who knows where his task begins and ends, who knows that the burden of responsibility for public safety fully rest on his shoulder, treats animals with more concern and compassion because he must have a compassionate instinct. Research by APS fellow Jean Decety, at the University of Chicago, shows that “even rats are driven to empathise with another suffering rat and go out of their way to help it out of its quandary.”
When this tragedy occurred there was no word of compassion from you as chief security officer.Thus, if anyone advised you to ignore his ordeal or tells you that it’s a waste of emotion to show concern for his ordeal just because of political difference, then he is your number one enemy.
Recently, you appeared in Kogi, kneeling down before the good people of the state, begging them to forgive Governor Yahaya Bello and give him their votes. That is laughable! You have your monumental sin and container of problems in your own state about to consume you, yet you chose to sidestep them and went to another state to seek forgiveness on behalf of anothergovernor. Haba Malam! People you should kneel and beg for forgiveness are families of the victims of unidentified assailants, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, etc who have been going through agony as a result of your failure to provide security.
My dear governor, you will never be a true and genuine leader until you have a sense of responsibility and you have become so obsessed about the plight of the people. Dadiyata is still missing sir! Please do something before you go!!
Halilu writes from Kaduna. Follow me @AmiruHalilu
