It was completely an act of providence that produced President Joseph Robinette Biden who represented Delaware for 36 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming the 47th Vice President of the United States. As President, Biden will restore America’s leadership and build her communities back better.
In his inaugural address on January, 20, 2021. He said:-
“This is America’s day.
This is democracy’s day.
A day of history and hope.
Of renewal and resolve.
Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.
Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile.”
In effect, Unifiers create civilizations. Dividers destroy them. Unifiers have a mission and the ability to draw people to it. They know how to reconcile situations, putting the cause and others — as opposed to themselves — first. Leaders throughout history in politics, business, technology and more have applied their own philosophies to achieve greatness. Each one, however, falls into one of two camps: Dividers or Unifiers.
Coincidentally, the personality in-charge of the engine room, Chief Raymond Anthony Aleogho Dokpesi, a Nigerian media entrepreneur. Raymond Dokpesi, former chairman of Daar Communications, says Nigeria’s next president should be someone that will unify the country. Dokpesi said Nigeria “has never been this disunited”, adding that the country needs someone like Atiku Abubakar, “AA”. A former vice president, to lead the nation out of “its present quagmire”. He further opined that “It is very glaring that we need somebody who is a unifier, who is very sound, who has business acumen, who himself has investment and wealth of experience and wherewithal to be able to properly lead the country out of its present quagmire like Atiku”.
~This phenomenal citizen, who has been a habitual pacesetter in his varied career in life.~ Agreeing that Atiku Abubakar is a Unifier, this media magnate further submitted that if a one-term Presidency of Atiku Abubakar does not produce desirable results, he would demonstrate his regret symbolically, stating: “I will go naked if the Unifier reneged”. He also gave us the response he expected from the followers with the charge that, “it is time we sheath our swords, cease our various songs of secessions and give life to a new creed of the political process that will give birth to hope in citizens, which shall give credence to our plural nature, as our diversity is enriched with productive strength”.
Sadly, the disconnect between our leaders “rulers” and the situation of the common Nigerian has inadvertently increased the level of suspicion and fault-lines. It has had a negative effects and prevented free flow of trust. As a result, Nigerians will see your religion and tribe before they see your abilities, if at all ~ We use other unhelpful metrics like tribe and religion to wrap and colour our political espousals. Competence, honesty, and moral rectitude significantly take the backseat.
The writer would like to believe that the PDP’s flag bearer ‘AA”, who has described himself as a Unifier, would be the beginning of a new era; it was a symbolic day, being our democracy day; a day of history, of hope, of renewal and resolve. That early morning of Sunday 29th May, doubled as our 23rd anniversary of unbroken years of democracy in Nigeria and could probably become the day of the beginning of Unification, and rebirth of this country. Evidently, other Presidential candidates would be presented to us for our votes and each would make claims as to their capabilities. We however argue that what we demand for our people now is action and not rhetoric, propaganda or political jingoism.
At this juncture of our political leadership and governance discussion, it is absolutely necessary to ask questions such as: who is a leader? My idea of a leader is the one who can see what an entire populace can not see, whose vision is far greater than that of the whole nation put together. A leader is the one who can think out of the box while everyone around him will be scared out of their paints, ( ~A UNIFIER~ A dreamer, innovator and Unifier of divergent thoughts). As far as I am concerned, that is the kind of leader we need in Nigeria. Particularly at a time like this.
Unfortunately, politics as usual will never get us anywhere. The road to a prosperous Nigeria is going to be tedious just like Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory said. According to him; “the leader that will lead Nigeria to the dawn of that new day of economic growth, technological advancement and Political stability, will not come from Mars but from within the people who so wish to pay the full price for good leadership.”
Nigeria needs a transformational leadership and vibrant citizenry. A leader who has capacity to demonstrate strong character and compassion. A leader like Nelson Mandela (Madiba), of blessed memory, who was more concerned about building a nation, than the greediness of power. He once said; “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 the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live 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”
Permit me to conclude this article by encouraging us to develop the capacity for holding our leaders to account. If a leader says, for example; “I am a UNIFIER, I will do one term presidency for so, so, purpose” no excuse is tenable for doing otherwise. We need to understand that we must play a pro-active role in how we are governed and shun the expectation that some divine intervention would bring about magical happenstance in achieving our aspirational goals.
ARISE ‘O COMPATRIOTS.
Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI.
