One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."-Arnold Glasgow

The dearth of leadership in every facet of the Nigerian life is approaching an epidemic proportion. It is like an entrenched cancerous growth, the more you sliced it, the more gangeranous it gets. The saddest truth is Nigerian of all hue knows what ails their country, but like the proverbial elephant in the room, no one is talking about it; or rather those that should talk are benefitting from the status quo, so they stay mum.

The truth is even if more people talk about the rudderlessness of our nation, what are we going to do about it? Nothing! We are currently being held hostage by a government we had no hand in electing or selecting. The People's Democratic Party (Nigeria's nemesis party) consist of men who like their forbears of the 1980s, do not need our legitimacy before they rule us. We are a nation in bondage, tormented by impostors in Abuja who had only their self interest as guiding principle.

This week, I took out my pen and did a checklist on every sector of the Nigerian life, to see the type of leadership we have in place, and I must tell you, it is quite embarrassing. On the economy, we have the head of our stock exchange deeply involved in the Transcorp mess. And by her own account she had no idea how the corporation she ran as the CEO wasted over 2 billion investor's fund. Not too long ago, the doctors in our teaching hospital went on strike; they were quickly followed by University professors and academic staff of Nigerian university. Our attorney general spend his time defending corrupt ex-governors, than he does standing up for the constitution. Our press, the singular light we had during the dark days of Shagari's misrule is currently comatose. Journalist are 3 pence per diem and they will sing your praise if the price is right.

Our judiciary which had always stand up for the masses are so overburdened with backlog of cases that an electoral petition against a sitting governor recently took 4 years before a final decision removing the "election rigger" was handed down by the Supreme court.

One area of the Nigerian life that had always been a beacon of hope and light is the Nigerian national team-the Super Eagle of Nigeria. Sadly, the leadership here too is wanting. We have all but lost world cup slot to Tunisia due largely to lack of visionary planning by competent leaders; even though we spend large amount of money on presidensitial task force on world cup qualifier. We have a football federation tasked with managing soccer in Nigeria, supervised by the ministry of sports, with the House and Senate oversight in tow; and our president thought it fit again to assemble a money wasting task force whose only contribution is to junket abroad on national dimes. And yet we still can't qualify for the mundial in South Africa! Sadly, no one is asking any questions, it is just business as usual in Abuja.

As long as money is changing hands nothing gets done. The ship of state in Nigeria is tottering on the verge of collapse and our Nero fiddles whilst Abuja burns. Afterall, who will tell "oga teacher" that he just lost his father. Election, that tested mode of accountability for politicians the world over, means nothing to current politicians stalking our lands. Like one of them campaigned recently in Ekiti, "if you vote or not, PDP will still win."

It was the Late Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi who in his letter of rejection of Yar'adua's Greek gift reminded us of the sorry state of Nigeria in these immortal words:

Furthermore, since the President came to power on May 29, 2007, the masses of

our country have been groaning in unprecedented poverty as a result of lack of

direction, The directionlessness of the Federal Government has been

characterised by the following, amongst others: collapsed infrastructure, total

paralysis of the health sector at all levels, constant nationwide power failure

and the attendant negative effects on all sectors of the economy; pervasive

unemployment, thereby generating increased armed robbery cutting across all ages

of our people; debilitating homelessness, retrogressive educational programmes

and policies, which have made no Nigerian university to be ranked within the

first 500 universities in the world, and no effort is being made by the regime

to improve on the humiliating situation. Put simply, the Federal Government is a

total failure, worsened by lack of direction and leadership

Did they listened to him? No! We are indeed a nation in perpetual turmoil, bereft of visionary leaders, so join me in my prayer for leadership for our dear country:

GOD, give us men!

A time like this demands

Strong minds, great hearts,

true faith and ready hands;

Men whom the lust of office does not kill;

Men whom the spoils of office can not buy;

Men who possess opinions and a will;

Men who have honor;

men who will not lie;

Men who can stand before a demagogue

And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!

Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog

In public duty, and in private thinking;

For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,

Their large professions and their little deeds,

Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,

Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.

-Josiah Gilbert Holland

Francis Adewale

Spokane, WA

USA

Robot  # 1 | 18.09.2009 01:58

...Read the full article.

Hazard  # 2 | 18.09.2009 10:58

As rightly observed by the US President Barak Obama, Visionless Leadership is the cause of the many woes of Africa and Nigeria to be precise.  Who says PDP do not see the aftermath of thier wrong leadership?  but tribalism, greed and wickedness will not just allow them to do the right thing.

Hazard  # 3 | 18.09.2009 11:02

As rightly observed by the US President Barak Obama, Visionless Leadership is the cause of the many woes of Africa and Nigeria to be precise. Who says PDP do not see the aftermath of thier wrong leadership? but tribalism, greed and wickedness will not just allow them to do the right thing.

Gbenga Ezekiel  # 4 | 18.09.2009 14:56

Thank you for this piece. Now "Behold, the people is one, they have all one langauage; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do" Genesis 11.6 God Bless Nigeria

computa  # 5 | 19.09.2009 07:38

francis, you painted a good picture of the state of the nation without taking time to offer some solutions of your own, not that it will be taking by the leadership but it makes for good education of the people for future changes. If people don't get educated on how things should be and just get to read and hear how bad it is, how will they make a better decision they are ever allowed to do so? I wait to hear what you think.

Enyi  # 6 | 19.09.2009 16:10

=computa;388948>francis, you painted a good picture of the state of the nation without taking time to offer some solutions of your own, not that it will be taking by the leadership but it makes for good education of the people for future changes. If people don't get educated on how things should be and just get to read and hear how bad it is, how will they make a better decision they are ever allowed to do so? I wait to hear what you think. without taking time to offer some solutions of your own, I am not sure this will serve any purpose. Many solutions have been offerred over the years. The phrase below, from your post, partly explains why nothing changes not that it will be taking by the leadership Experience has shown that the selected leaders will not take any advice that does not suit their personal objectives. Recently, the Senate president suggested that Nigerians with dissenting views should go and form their own country. In other words, it should be business as usual. This is probably understandable because just as the leopard can not change its spots, many politicians in power (thanks to the electoral magician-in-chief) can not mend their ways. Change will come only when the masses regain their rights. I agree with you that education of the masses is necessary. This has to be done by everybody who has the interest of the nation at heart. The following report in Sahara Reporters is a good example of what can happen when the people decide that enough is enough. War Against Corruption: Nigerians in London chase AGF Aondoakaa back to Abuja Written by Saharareporters, New York Friday, 18 September 2009 20:00 Nigerians in London today used their telephones to chase AGF Michael Aondoakaa out of their city. The action followed an advisory by the Nigeria Liberty Forum in London notifying Nigerian nationals that Michael Aondoakaa was in the city. "Nigeria and all haters of corruption have been alerted to the presence in London of Nigeria's notoriously corrupt protector of looters of Nigeria, Michael Aondoakaa," it said. The Nigerian Attorney General of the Federation (who is being referred to as Attorney General of Fraud) was staying at the London Heathrow Marriot Hotel on Bath Road, Harlington, Hayes, UB3 5AN United Kingdom, Phone: +44 20 89901100. He arrived in the UK yesterday to deploy federal power against the impending trial of President Yar'Adua's friends: the former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, and Yar'Adua's Private Principal Secretary, David Edevbie. The trial commences at the Southwark Crown Court on Monday. The Nigeria Liberty Forum, which earlier this year successfully organized the picketing of the presence of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, at the London School of Economics and Political Science, urged Nigerians to protest Aondoakaa's presence from the comfort of their homes by calling the hotel to ask them to kick the AGF out of the place. The NLF advised callers: "Be civil, ask to speak with Michael Aondoakaa after you dial to speak with the operator. If he is there in his room, curse the daylights out of him for destroying Nigeria; if , leave him a voicemail message. "If you want to join in protesting his presence in London, contact the Nigerian Liberty Forum by text on: 07984212553." The Marriot Hotel management told Saharareporters that they found themselves overwhelmed by calls from across the world within just 30 minutes. They said that Mr. Aondoakaa, who had checked into the hotel yesterday, checked out abruptly when alerted that so many people were calling to ask after him. Our sources said Aondoakaa left empty handed without successfully securing any meetings with the UK Home Office or the Crown Prosecution Service, the UK bodies to which he was instructed to make some protests and submit "clearance papers" on behalf of Ibori and Edevbie. Aondoakaa, who also claimed to have attended a UN meeting for a few hours in Vienna yesterday, told his friends who approached him about his recent embarrassing conduct that he was merely playing the script of Nigeria's taciturn and reclusive leader, Umaru Yar'Adua. He also told friends in London before hurriedly departing for Abuja today, that he enjoys the confidence of Yar'Adua in defending Ibori and other corrupt former governors. He bragged that Mrs. Farida Waziri, who is currently traveling with her husband in Saudi Arabia, will be in trouble for disowning his statement that the EFCC had cleared Ibori. Aondoakaa also admitted that there were cracks in the Yar'Adua cabinet, saying that some people want him removed at all cost. He singled out former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, as the biggest international headache for the Yar'Adua regime, and vowed that Ribadu would be charged for treason in due course.