” I have sacrificed all my interests to those of the country “
- Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon Bonaparte in his Farewell speech to the old Guard on 20 April 1814 laid credence to leadership anchored on personal sacrifice. He went on to say in that speech ” I go ,but you ,my friends, will continue to serve France . Her happiness was my only thought “. Today ,history has been kind to him ,to paraphrase Winston Churchill.
A similar man in history that stood tall on issue of leadership with personal sacrifice was Dr Nelson Mandela, the one popularly known as Madiba . In his speech from the dock on 20 April 1964 in Pretoria, the iconic freedom fighter unveiled his heart of personal sacrifice to us thus;
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people, I have fought against white domination ,and I have fought against black domination . I have cherished an ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live in together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be,it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”
Mandela was a classical example of leadership imbued with the spirit of sacrifice. Here ,was a man who had the opportunity of becoming life president but opted for one tenure to the surprise of power and politics scholars.
The writer considers worthy of mention what happened in China in 1959 when Chairman Maos Great leap forward, an attempt to spark an overnight industrial revolution suffered a devastating set-back ,and how Zhou one of the officials from Beijing that returned to their native town demonstrated sacrificial leadership to bail China from economic quagmire.
Zhou was said to have his ancestral graveyard ,where generations of his family were buried and ordered that the tombstones be removed and the coffins buried deeper ,for the land to be farmed for food. In confusion terms (and Zhou was an obedient Confucian )this amounted to sacrilege, but everyone knew what it meant: Zhou was willing to suffer personally .Everyone had to sacrifice ,even the leaders . At his demise ,the outpouring of grief stunned leaders in China.
As it stands in our country today ,how many leaders like Napoleon Bonaparte are ready to sacrifice their interests to those of the country? What we see ,is it not the reverse ? Leaders looking for the state to satisfy their interest ,negating the plea of John F Kennedy who opined “do not think of what your country shall do for you but what you can do for your country. Was it not in this country that the first thing Senators considered a priority was buying SUV cars for themselves at outrageous price ?. With an economy at the edge of precipice ,could not even dissuade them from their selfish agenda.
How many of Nigerian political leaders can proclaim like the Great Napoleon that the ” happiness of Nigeria is their only thought ” ? What we see is it not leaders who’s thoughts are the sadness of Nigeria? Who will hear what happened with the ways and means instrument in the hands of central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the past regime ,without weeping for Nigeria? The looting culture among political leaders points to the fact that the sadness of Nigeria and Nigerians tops the agenda of our political leaders.
Could we get among the political class ,leaders who having served a political term like Dr Nelson Mandela will say let me stay at the background for another person to taste political office ? Was it not in this country that a sitting president wanted to alter the constitution to do a third term in office? Have we not seen people after serving as governors ,have made the senate a permanent home ? To them personal sacrifice of allowing another person to taste political office must be resisted.
Each government comes with the sermon of “Sacrifice ” from the people to be able to carry out their policies ,but exempts the political leaders from such sacrifices . Which country functions with such a leadership? Last time ,president Bola Ahmed Tinubu traveled to United Arab Emirate on a climate change summit with a continent that makes mincemeat of the word “sacrifice “.
On a daily basis we see the long convoys of government officials that chases commuters out of the road, yet the common man is asked to sacrifice. Would a leadership that believes in sacrifice allow such waste of resources in the name of long convoys? Do we see the madness of long convoys in the western world ,where we go cup in hand to ask for loans ?
With an economy in dire strait ,are we not expected to see a cut in the salaries of political office holders ,as a way of showing leadership by example? Rather what we hear is burgeoning of monies collected by Senators and House of representative members in the country.
The late Aminu Kano the champion of the kalatawas (the downtrodden) and presidential candidate of People’s Redemption party (PRP) in the second Republic died with just one house in Kano ,one television set ,one radio and
infinitesimal amount in the account at death . With a leaderships that has no business with personal sacrifice, it is mansions littered everywhere in choice areas in Nigeria and world capitals .
Dr Michael okpara ,a former premier of the Eastern region served as a premier without helping himself with state funds ,that when he finished serving he has no personal house anywhere in the world. It took some spirited individuals to put a house for him after public office. Such is the hallmark of personal sacrifice that is rare in this part of the world.
Alhaji Lateef Jakande ,a former governor of Lagos state in the second Republic succeeded in entering the pantheon of immortality for his leadership legacies that dots the state till today . He served without anybody saying that he stole public funds ,as he served with Iron -cast integrity . He left office ,without collecting lands in Lagos state to build mansions . Such was a man cast in the mould of Dr Julius Nyrenye of Tanzania ,who had no craving for primitive accumulation of wealth while in public office.
Dr Sam Mbakwe, the one nicknamed the weeping governor in the second Republic, in coming to office came with the mindset to serve the people of Imo state with all his heart. His “thoughts ” for Imo like Napoleon was “her happiness ” and having left the terrestrial realm ,Imolites still remembers his administration with nostalgia. Such was a leader ,with a mindset of sacrifice.
How can we as a nation usher in a leadership that thinks of happiness of Nigeria and not its sadness ? The electorate that votes such characters in power should be educated on the dangers of having them in power . It is not enough to complain about bad leaders ,while we help to bring them to power. People must learn to resist the lure of lucre ,that closes their eyes to purity and accepting filth by the choices they make during elections.
Time has come for leadership to be taught in secondary schools to expose young minds to what true leadership is all about . In doing so, it will help to give meaning to the phrase “catch them young ” as such young fellows will grow up to become great leaders we are looking for .
Also ,as a way of enthroned the culture of selfless leadership in our country, something must be done to make public office unattractive as against the juicy public office that operates across the nation .
Severe punishment for infractions in public offices needs to be pursued if we must make headway in entrenching the culture of selfless leadership.
Beleaguered at all fronts by challenges, the time has come for us begin to invite into public offices leaders who are ready to give their all to Nigeria and not leaders scheming to take all from Nigeria.
Dr Uche Akunebu, is the Head of poets of the world (poets Del Mundo) in Nigeria and Editor of African book series of the International human rights arts Festival based in New York.
