HOW NOT TO BECOME ANOTHER EMBATTLED SARAKI: A Message to Nigeria Youth

With full respect to the Senate President, this piece only aims at passing knowledge to the future leaders on how not to land in a realm of leadership decay and being a malnourished leader.

Dr Myles Munroe wrote that ”Every leader who finds themselves in facing legal consequence for unlawful practices, theft, extortion, cheating and the likes are lacking or deficient in the vital elements called moral and character”. So also the case of the Senate President. His woe started from the day he (cunningly) assumes office. It was so glaring that his current predicament started the day he assumes his highest national status. He has an ambition like every other person, which is good and perfect. But, the price is always there to be paid.

Assuming Bukola Saraki knows in his youthful days that he will one day become the Senate President, he probably would have done some things better. He would have tried to avoid the messes that caused his current predicaments.

Any situation or position that an organization, an individual, a nation, business or society find itself, it doesn’t arrive their by accident, someone led it there. So, I could say he brought this upon himself.

I want to believe with Dr Myles that any leader who lacks morals and character will surely approach doom. Time and history has shown that the most important quality a true leader should and must possess is the moral force of a noble and stable character.

It is not enough to think of becoming a leader because of the power and influence attached with it, but to think of how to access the moral and build the character needed to sustain and maintain the leadership position.

It is quite unfortunate that leaders that are expected to build the nation are the ones violating the public trust, breaking the law and committing crimes against humanity.

If Nigeria youths who are also part of those criticizing the Senate President don’t want to end up just like this (because I can tell you, that he never plan or think it is going to turn out like this for him), the future leaders must devote themselves to acquiring the moral and build the character a true leadership. It is disheartening that we have been experiencing the leadership of leaders who lack quality moral force.

Character protects your leadership and your vision – preventing you from canceling them prematurely, and enabling you to leave a legacy for your generation and future generations.

Don't attempt to come to lime light if you have not developed the right attitude and moral for leadership, your utmost dream can become your fall. Similarly, the more exposure a leader has to the public – the more fame he acquires, the more influence he exacts – the more vigilant he must be to maintain deep, well established character.

Let me conclude with this address from Abraham Lincoln to aspiring lawyers which also apply to any field of endeavor:

There is a vague popular belief that lawyers are necessarily dishonest. Let no young man choosing the law for a calling, for a moment yield to this popular belief. Resolve to be honest at all events, and if in your own judgment, you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Chose some other occupation, rather than one in the choosing of which you do, in advance consent to be a knave”.

If you know you cannot have a good character while pursuing a certain goal, then you should cease pursuing that goal. You should pursue something that you can do with integrity and honesty.

By

Olajide Olayinka Emmanuel