Opinion
One weighty question serious
leaders ask themselves is this – “What will be my leadership legacy?” At the
end of the day, all our so-called achievements, acquisitions and awards will
disappear into the dustbin of nothingness but what will continue to speak
volumes about us will be the positive impact we made on the lives of people
within our space and under our leadership. As endowed as Africa is, we are
still unable to unleash our potential because we have a dearth of
legacy-conscious leaders – leaders who would sacrifice the ultimate for the
immediate.
One is not surprised at the
surge of tributes from all over the globe at the death of Kofi Annan, the first
black African secretary-general of the United Nations. When a well-known person
passes on, there is usually a deluge of tributes pouring in from both friends
and detractors. And culturally, when a
person dies, people say good things about the person and avoid making negative
comments, though it is sometimes obvious that some of the tributes are mere platitudes.
But in Kofi Annan’s case, it is crystal clear that he deserves the kind words
showered on him. Thinking through tributes posted on Twitter to celebrate him,
one cannot but be moved to live a life of honour and service. Here are some of
the tributes: “Learning with deep sadness of the passing of #KofiAnnan:
international leader, wise mentor, valuable adviser, good friend, role model.
We at UNHCR – and millions of others around the world – will miss him very
much”. — Filippo Grandi; “I’m so heartbroken at the news that one of my life’s
greatest inspirations is no more. May you Rest In Peace Mr. Annan in knowing
that you served humanity with depth & compassion. My ultimate dream was to
serve & be under his mentorship. #KofiAnnan” — Nomzamo Mbatha.
“The great oak tree has
fallen, a salt worth its taste, a beacon for Africa that will shine till thy
kingdom come. A journey of life well lived, death!! Is inevitable but we will
celebrate and not mourn you. RIP #KofiAnnan”— KodjoNutifafa; “A son of #Africa
who brokered peace in the most impossible of circumstances. Thank you
@KofiAnnan for inspiring me to believe in peace when many leaders from our
continent lacked the courage & nobility you carried. A legacy complete. RIP
#KofiAnnan #Ghana #UN”— Mahmoud Shire; “#KofiAnnan, one of Africa’s great
peacemakers, is now with the gods. Sierra Leone will remember how you stood up
for us and brought us peace”. — Joseph Kaifala; “A sad day. RIP #KofiAnnan
Kenyans will never forget what you did for us in 2007. — ayni elmi; “Kofi
Annan, what an inspiration, what a life, someone to celebrate and look up to.
The example he set as UN General Secretary is exactly what we need to aspire to
in these fractured, binary times. Thank you for all you did, rest in peace
#kofiannan #un #rolemodel” — Kerry Gooderson;
Former U.N. Secretary and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan has passed
at age 80; “The world needs visionaries of peace more than ever, and his life
is an example of the possible. Thank you for your service to us all. #KofiAnnan
#RestInPeace”— Ilari Äijälä; “Thank you for your great advocacy for Peace. You
have left our world a better place to be at.” — MIIK.
As reported in the media,
“Annan spent virtually his entire career as an administrator in the United
Nations. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2001. Annan worked for the UN
Economic Commission for Africa in Ethiopia, its Emergency Force in Egypt, and
the office of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, before taking a
series of senior posts at UN headquarters in New York dealing with human
resources, budget, finance, and staff security. Just before becoming
secretary-general, Annan served as UN peacekeeping chief and as special envoy
to the former Yugoslavia, where he oversaw a transition in Bosnia from UN
protective forces to NATO-led troops.” Taken together, Annan served humanity
with the leadership opportunities he had. It is particularly heartwarming that
he is an African and that means Africa has great leadership potential. Though
not without his personal failings, Kofi Annan remains of the brightest lights
Africa has produced, and whose light will continue to shine.
Here in Nigeria, the world’s
most populous black nation, our perspective about leadership needs to change
radically if we will make any significant progress. The average person on the
street thinks leadership is an opportunity to become rich and influential,
thinks it is an opportunity to be served. This kind of thinking is dangerous
for us as a nation and as a continent. The needlessly huge salaries, allowances
and perks that come with holding political offices in this country are our
greatest undoing. The earlier we begin to see leadership as a call to serve,
the better for us. It is difficult to come across people who want to serve
their communities without ulterior motive. The society needs to purge itself
because citizens who volunteer and tries to make a difference without seeking
for money or political benefits are seen as unwise.
Leadership is a solemn
responsibility and must be seen as such. A leader’s utterances, actions and
inactions can affect the fortunes of millions of people. It’s sad and shocking
that we have leaders that do not realize the tremendous powers and resources at
their disposal with which they can put smiles on the faces of the downtrodden
and increase the standard of living.
Elections are close; another
opportunity for us to choose our leaders is near and here. Are we going to act
differently? Are we going to uphold the status quo or vote for a real change?
We need leaders who know what to do and who have a proven track record of
fulfilling their promises. Over the years, we have had politicians who promised
heaven and earth but at the end of their two terms, the same problems they
campaigned about are still staring us in the face. The Nigeria of today is the
legacy bequeathed by yesterday’s leaders. We will be remembered by what we have
done. There are leaders who die and people roll out drums to say “good riddance
to bad rubbish” and there are leaders who pass on and people all over the world
start mentioning their numerous positive contributions with tangible proofs.
What kind of a leader are you in your home, on your street, in your community?
What will you and I be remembered for? What legacy are you going to leave
behind?
Idowu Omisore, youth
development advocate, writes from Lagos
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