If you want to lead a country like Nigeria, you must fi rst join the Boys’ Scout. Th e Boy Scout takes you through an oath: ‘On my honour, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the scout law; to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.’ Th e Boy Scout Oath has principally three promises: Duty to God and country, duty to other people and duty to one’s self. Th e motto of the scout is Be Prepared!
Th e scout law spells out certain attributes a scout candidate must have and this includes being trust worthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Th e three promises contained in the scout oath are more than rote words.
Th is group which began in England often reminds its young members of the role of faith in leadership and emphasizes the truism that service to men is service to God. Lesson after lesson traces the history of the men and women who worked hard and those who paid the supreme price so America would live. Th is lesson is often a reminder for members to do all things for the country’s good. Th e second duty is the duty to other people. It is often a lesson to move beyond self and to lead lives that add value to others. Th e third duty is the duty to self. Members are reminded not to fail themselves for more often than not, failing oneself means failing in the ultimate goal. In that light, all scouts are mandated to keep physically strong, to take care of their bodies and to stay mentally awake. As part of the requirement of being a scout, a prospective member must be morally upright, live honestly and possess strong moral fi bre. Robert Baden-Powell will do well to off er basic remedial courses for Nigeria’s Presidency especially because in recent times in our democratic journey, we have fl oundered in the basic engagement rules. Take President Muhammadu Buhari’s “ My Manifesto and Vision for Nigeria” as example. In 2014 President Buhari had a well-penned aspiration document: “Every country has its ‘lost generation’. Some were stolen away by war, some by economic downturns, and some by governments. Nigeria is perhaps the only country stolen by a cabal of political Mafi as, merely for power, money, leisure and privilege. When the British administrators lowered the Union Jack in Lagos on October 1, 1960, Nigeria was Africa’s greatest hope. Its pool of talent mass of fertile land, and its newly discovered oil wealth, promised economic transformation and the role of leading the then independent African nations and those who were still struggling for freedom, under diff erent forms of colonialism, to eventually lead the African Continent, onto the global stage.” Th e words in the Preamble of that great speech danced with hope and got a largely distracted nation to focus on a promise that seemed to hold meaning. Th e then presidential aspirant went ahead to enumerate Nigeria’s problems –the struggle for basic needs, endemic poverty, institutionalized corruption, high level unemployment, collapse of education, chaotic transportation and communication systems and less than adequate institutions of governments at all levels. To the groaning against terrorism, Buhari off ered a magical solution. To the fi ght against corruption, Buhari personifi ed an end to graft. Whatever the problem we hitherto had, Buhari was a magic band that would bring the much needed reprieve. Over a year after, everything that rainbowed in the promise now stales in the storm. It soon became obvious that Nigeria’s president has a health challenge when he was away for 50 days beginning from January 19th, 2017 up until March 10th, 2017. It was at the time the longest period a Nigerian President would be away. Th e incident fed speculation and questions about his long term health and ability to lead. President Buhari had to return for another medical trip on 7th May, 2017 and returned on August 19th 2017, precisely 103 days after. It has been a critical moment in our country’s history. While such a serious incident was trivialized into a Pro Buhari vs. Anti Buhari movement; CNN Fareed Zakaria shocked us into perspective when he popped the quiz of the African Head of State who had not set foot in his homeland over two months. Now, anyone who is human must by now be familiar about the uncertainty of health and this should cause us all to empathize. Beyond that however are the problems that erupt when people who claim they are the President’s friends cannot help him achieve his objectives in his absence. More critical are the events that unfolded in the absence of the President. Th e Nigerian economy has been hard on the Nigerian people. Th e number of people who are out on the streets begging to survive is unprecedented and these are not destitute, these are everyday people who otherwise would get by but for the times they have now found themselves. Th e Academic Staff Union of Universities is now on strike over the N128 billion arrears of its earned academic allowances and the non-release of the operational licensing of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company. Of course, the abysmal state of teaching facilities in not just the tertiary institutions but across all strata of learning has remained deplorable. Th at our President would be away for a total of about 153 days in less than two years and in search of medical help speaks about the state of our health system. Basic amenities like water and transportation have become ostentatious goods. Ordinarily, the nation would crawl its way through these diffi cult circumstances but the biggest challenge of the moment is how the present administration can steer a national ship as opposed to a conclave of regional boats. Unfortunately, the present administration has woefully failed through its National Orientation Agency; Ministry for Information and other relevant agencies to forge a common identity for it’s over 180million people. If the Buhari administration does not work hard towards reintegrating this country, we will remember that our fortunes were worsened by that gaff e. Now that the President is back, the sentiments around the debate should hopefully simmer for a while but the big question will still remain: Can this administration’s many excuses make up for the rape of hope against the Nigeria people? You see, the problem is beyond an individual. It is beyond sentiments. Th e real issue is the sincerity of purpose of the present administration and how, in the word of the Boy Scout, prepared they were to lead. Th e Boy Scout reminds us that in leading, excuses do not take the place of a satisfactory performance. Th e Pro-Buharists can argue all they can about the humanity of ill health but in the end the real question would be whether it is justifi able for the physical and natural frailty of one man to hold the destiny of a nation of over 180million people to ransom. Th e AntiBuharists can be suave in their presentation about doing away with an ailing President but the crux of the matter is whether we have a leadership system that can survive the ill health of one man. In the end, the issue is beyond the debate it is about whether our leaders have the commitment and preparation of the Boy Scout. Are they ready to make sacrifi ce beyond self? Are they physically and mentally prepared for the onerous task of leading a nation as complex and huge as Nigeria? Our President is a retired General of the Nigerian Army. He knows better than most of us do that one of the cardinal principles of war is to direct every military operation toward a clearly defi ned decisive and attainable objective with the ultimate military purpose of destroying the enemy’s ability and will to fi ght. In such an operation, At the moment, we have legions of problems all fused in this one enemy- the enemy that has sworn that the potentials of our country will be our undoing. Now that the President is back, we hope he takes a long view in the mirror, make his promises a reality and save this country from its throes.
