The Search for Competent Leadership after Ramadan
By Hashim Suleiman
POLITICS DIGEST- The just concluded holy month of Ramadan Fasting, when the tidal waves of 2023 general elections are gradually gathering momentum, with political activities heightened, many Muslims and non-Muslims saw the period as an open vista to render prayers and supplications to God for the country to be blessed with competent and pragmatic leadership.
Without sounding like a former state governor, who publicly stated that Nigeria’s woes are as a result of the sins that her numerous citizens had committed, I would partly and not overtly agree or disagree at the same time.Hence, I would love to make a bit of detour from such narrative and submission while also alluding to some.
Not only did the former Governor failed in the formulation of critical strategies that could swing and sway victory to his party’s favour by holding on to power in the state firmly, but he relinquished the power to the opposition in a manner that is somewhat lackadaisical after his four years tenure as a Governor, that despite his status then as the Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ forum, it couldn’t still prevent such political free-fall.
In his chimerical wild hallucinations and fictitious mind,he thought manners fall from heaven, thought victory is gotten on the platter, but he erroneously forgot that heaven helps those who helped themselves. In fact, he forgot that victory without efforts can only be read in fictious book, watched on fictious TV series and seen in sedative dreams. Politics is a battle of wit, a survival of the fittest; there is always a victor and a vanquish in all political contests and duels; so one shouldn’t be deceived with the consolatory phrase of “no victor, no vanquish”.
On the other hand, the only area I can allude to his submission is the fact that apart from competence which must form the fulcrum of choices for leaders, we also demand them to be indeed possess healthy and sound faith and character as attributes. The faith here shouldn’t be a lip-bound one, and but a practically demonstrated. I have observed with keen interest during this just concluded month of Ramadan the heightened across several mosques, the energy dissipated to prayers even though those prayers are geared towards requests of prosperity and perhaps national stability which are absolutely not bad, since naturally it is of human nature to crave for succours and other good things of life.
However, what has been sadly amiss all along in our several years of intense prayers is genuine faith exhibited through character and sincerity of purpose. So, it is pertinent to ask here rhetorically how much individuals had contributed to the wellbeing and sanity of their fellow brethren before seeking for God’s intervention? In reality, if one had contributed in a small measure in ensuring there is a succour and respite to his fellow brethren, that way it becomes easy for God himself to intervene knowing certain virtues he appreciates have been practiced and adhered to.
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The most ridiculous of it is that, it is becoming a norm somewhat now where people with meagre or no knowledge of religion during their years of service are now ascending the thrones of clerics and clergymen, in a desperate sinister motive of swaying the voters for their thumbs at the polling booth.
This is nothing but purely sheer hypocrisy, and voting such kind of character portends a great danger, as people with the predilection of hypocrisy politically would have nothing to offer if elected, but would only end up plunging the society into chaotic retrogression.
These are the issues bedeviling us as a nation, issues that require urgent intervention for meaningful and sustainable progress to be made as a nation. Is it not ironic that despite one’s sincerity of purpose as a leader to be responsibly accountable to your people by delivering the goods of democracy, that such positive intents always hit the rock and get thwarted because of certain characters around you? Thus, any leader who is desirous of success should first be very deliberate with the kind of characters around him.
In credence to buttressing this is Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). My path crossed with the young technocrat in the line of street hustle and his character was just enough to melt me into acknowledging that I had met a different breed distinctly different from the everyday people abound our contemporary Nigerian society. In the pantheon of those who pay apt attention to succeeding is Prof Isa Pantami. He first had a stint with him (Kashifu Inuwa) as his aide and finally recommended him for the post of the Director General of same Agency. The success that resulted into this amazing combination of competence, faith and character is crystal clear for everyone one to see and discern without necessarily gazing the crystal ball to see through NITDA and Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy or through my several articles on the duo.
Furthermore, apart from my 2015 open letter to Badaru Talamiz, the executive governor of Jigawa State, I have not been followi up so much on his governance considering that he had acknowledged some of my demands in the letter by appointing and empowering several youth in his government to help steer the affairs of the state to an enviable height.
He finally attained my reverence, adoration, obeisance and admiration when in his several interviews he reiterated the kinds of individuals he wanted to succeed him as governor. He deliberately hacked on qualities such as characters, competence, faithfulness, humility, patriotism amongst others and lately rumors started making the rounds that such choice had been earmarked as Kashifu Inuwa, who is indeed a deserving one, because of his peculiar, intrinsic and distinctive track records in NITDA, which distinctively set him miles apart from others.
Consequently, in the spirit of the just concluded Ramadan and the celebration of the Eid, it was expedient to reecho the fact that Nigeria requires more and more genuinely faithful and competent individuals to steer affairs of state so meaningful progress would be achieved with assurances of sustainability too.
Finally, as we regrettably, but without choice bid our farewells to the holy month of Ramadan that ushered in the Eid fitri celebration, it is important and beneficial of us to accede to the fact that Nigeria is avidly in need of absolutely and authentically faithful, competent, affable, polished and empathic individuals that would steer the wheel of the governance that would usher in meaningful and sustainable development and progress.
Eid Mubarak Nigeria
