A review of ‘The Art of Leading’ by Olusegun Obasanjo

BY MARK NWAGWU

When I first saw this book, I thought I would be reading about notable world leaders of philosophical repute who have shaped the destiny of nations by who they are. I thought the author, being an accomplished leader in his own right, would tell some intriguing personal anecdotes of some of the heads of states and governments he had interacted with in his long service to the country at different tiers of leadership.

I was mistaken: it highlighted one of my silly shortcomings; I do not read closely or thoroughly, for the book had an ancillary title too: ‘Unconventional Wisdom From Biblical Leaders’. Immediately, I lost interest: whatever the book had to say had been said. The Bible is arrayed by one prophet after another, one patriarch after another, one apostle after another, and one martyr after another. What could be new?

I was wrong on all counts. I know only too well that several people can tell a story several times. Still, only one of the many would capture the reader with its style, syntax, emphasis, nuances, and even poetics and lift the story to intoxicating heights. I have not read many biblical stories outside of the Bible itself, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the writings of the Second Vatican Council and the writings of the saints, e.g. St.Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, and others.

I commend Olusegun Obasanjo for taking us to those leaders in the Bible of classical and immediate attention, nothing old, all things pertinent. I must quickly add that the reader should constantly evaluate the author as a leader and the extent to which he adhered to the precepts captured in this book. I dare say that the author’s success in birthing this book may be judged by the extent to which his long and continued sojourn as a leader fulfils the norms he so avidly and magnificently cherishes.

The first chapter is on ‘God: The Supreme Leader’. You would say there is nothing much here we do not know already. You are mistaken, or I am: there is something interesting and quite revealing in there. He tells us, quoting J Oswald Sanders, that leadership is influence and elaborates to show how we are all made to influence others and be influenced at the same time. Continuing in this mode, he referred to the Sermon on the Mount Our Lord Jesus Christ on how we could influence others for the good: “You are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Cast in this way, the message is clear: you and I have the ability to offer our services to others and influence their actions for the better. We are all called to be leaders at the local, neighbourhood level. What happens at higher levels, however?

The author takes us to the first human leader, Abraham, and in the first statement says: “In the introduction and chapter one, we made two indispensable and indisputable points.” I think this interpretation or conclusion should be left to the reader. Abraham’s leadership, wrapped in faith and mission, is nobly portrayed.

Next, we meet Joseph, the leader with a dream, in an engaging chapter. The author treats us to refreshing thoughts: “Righteous persecution is part of the price we have to pay for success in life. It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. And adversity in our life may move us towards our destiny or what God has proposed for us. We know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” So simple, so true, so significant.

The author has had a career chiselled in the finest marbles. I spent time applying these words to his life as head of state in the military regime and also in a democracy, such as we have now. I would pray the reader to evaluate the author in light of the words applied to Joseph as a leader.

“So, Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Joseph superbly accomplished his duties as prime minister masterly and majestically to the benefit and satisfaction of everyone in the country, and most amazingly helped his brothers to their utter consternation.

We might ask, when we appoint men and women to positions of authority in our land, do we select the best we have, or do other non-relevant considerations hold sway? Accordingly mediocrity swiftly but surreptitiously creeps into domains of government.

Moses takes up the most space in the book, and quite appropriately so, given his commanding role in receiving the law from God and propagating the law among the people, a leader of astonishing proportions.

What struck me most in this chapter, and what had always astounded me was to what dastardly degree Pharaoh, belligerently and intransigently, refused to respond to the plagues he received up until the murder of the first sons in Egypt. I quickly went to the New Testament to the wicked servants in the vineyard, and how these ungrateful workers massacred those sent to collect their master’s share of the harvest (Mark 12: 1-12). I can never for the life of me understand how these servants could kill the very son of their master rejoicing in the hope that the vineyard would be theirs.

The author directs us to the confounding incongruities of the responses to Pharaoh’s maladies and wishes us to capture the egregious ignominy of the dictatorial and unrepentant leader that Pharaoh was. He spends much time reminding us of his hardheartedness and highhandedness.  The accounts of God’s anger and forgiveness characterise the life of Moses in the face of the gross offences of the people he led.

“God’s anger burned against them, and when the cloud lifted from above the tent, there stood Miriam leprous like snow. Aron turned towards her and saw her leprous; he trembled and asked Moses to forgive them of the sin they had foolishly committed.  Moses prayed to God to heal her and God healed Miriam, but after seven days of confinement outside the camp.”

With God’s forgiveness ever so extant, I ask, why did Adam and Eve not ask for forgiveness after they had disobeyed God by eating the fruit? Would God not have forgiven them, or did he harden their hearts so resolutely that the thought of pardon never entered their minds? And so it was, the Son of God would come as a man and die in expiation for our sins!

The next chapter deals with Samuel, an “answered prayer, a direct answer from God to a fervent and tearful prayer of a broken and contrite heart – a tormented and mocked life of an anguished sorrowful and implacable woman, Hannah.” The emphasis, however, is how he would serve as a model for youths today (and) “Samuel as a young man had to take up the leadership of Israel as a priest, prophet and judge during the period of great and unprecedented crisis for the nation”.

The readings on Samuel are remarkable for the hand of God at work against Israel’s enemies. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines and there was peace in Israel. The author considers this period as both unprecedented and unsurpassed. The reader might want to ask if Samuel equalled David in historical prominence.

Samuel grew old and Israel wanted a king and God guided Samuel to take an active part in anointing Saul as their king.

In his first act of war to liberate the Israeli people of Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites, led by Nabash who had wanted to gouge the right eye of the Israeli, Saul enlisted Samuel’s support and, the Spirit of God with him, he routed the Ammonites. Many victories and successes came to Saul. He grew from strength to strength until his nefarious encounters with David. The author spends ample time navigating the horrors perpetrated by Saul pursuing David to kill him so he will not be king. He had grown jealous of David’s immense popularity with the people after his victories against the Philistines, Israel’s arch-enemies.

The chapter that captured most of my attention and held me spellbound in places dwelt on David, God’s own king after Saul.

“He does not search for ‘angels at the flesh’ or for perfect people because there are none…There are, however, basic qualities on which God can build men and women. …..Three of these basic qualities are spirituality, humility and integrity.”

You might ask in what ways the author satisfies these basic requirements in the eyes of God. He has put himself to the test.

David, of course, passed this examination handily and showed other leadership qualities nurtured in his stewardship as a shepherd. “Nature was his nurse, his companion, his teacher. Solitude has nurturing qualities. Obscurity is another way through which God trains His people for leadership assignments. Another one is monotony, just a dull plain life. Reality, particularly in the experience of life, is the last way of training relevant to this study of the life of David. God is looking everywhere for His people to whom he can give assignments. Our calling is to be  faithful in the demanding task we have in hand.”

Thus, the author takes us into the life of David in the onerous task of leading his people At the same time, he points out our respective roles in responding to God’s call in our ordinary daily duties. We may not all be David but we have been called to influence one another without stopping.

David’s fight against Goliath is a legend of history, the victory which only God can grant to a boy unskilled in battle, confident and full of faith and precocious in subtlety, simplicity and precision. He struck down Goliath, cut off his head and put the Philistine army in total disarray.

David, a boy, a king, the greatest king ever in Israel, is a leader among leaders. His weaknesses notwithstanding, he shows all of us how to serve God above all things at all times in victory and in defeat. He leads the way for us all to follow. How he manages to tarry with the enemy Philistines while being pursued by Saul is a masterpiece of skill and wisdom.

You might therefore ask how Olusegun Obasanjo the author has led Nigeria in good times, and in bad times, which he has created wittingly, or unwittingly.

At the end of this chapter, I wrote: “Oh! there are stories you don’t want to end, like music unto your ears and heart transcending mortality.”

My next interest was the chapter on Esther, Queen, and Xerxes King of Persia. Take your time to read this to learn and understand what a masterpiece it is to dine with the enemy, not necessarily with a long spoon but with an ally providing the dishes. Here we meet Hegel, the eunuch in King Xerxes’ harem, who selected Esther to go to the king’s bedroom when Queen Vashti was banished and Mordecai, a Jew, in the service of the king, cousin to Esther and her advisor.

Haman was elevated to the highest post of all the nobles and officials partly because he helped to uncover a plot to kill the king, although it was actually Mordecai who unconverted the plot. Being a Jew, he could be readily set aside in the award of honours. But not for long. Haman, intoxicated with power and authority, did not want any rival to challenge him in any way: he hatched a plot to get rid of Mordecai and all Jews along with him.

Esther goes to work and most brilliantly reverses the tide of fortune in favour of the Jews to the death of Haman. King Xerxes learns of Haman’s evil schemes, elevates Mordecai to the highest honours of the land, and sends Haman to his death. Esther had saved the Jews from the dastard schemes of Haman and, thereafter, enjoyed the king’s favour and deepest love.

The author writes on Mary, the mother of Jesus and Jesus Christ himself. Coming from the New Testament, they are markedly read by Christians and I do not have any comments here.

The author is a former president of this country who has played primary roles in the life of this nation. The success of this book lies not only in the stories of the leaders recounted herein but in the extent to which his leadership compares favourably or otherwise with that of the leader who wrote the book.

I most warmly and enthusiastically commend this book, The Art Of Leading, and congratulate the author for his blistering courage and wisdom in calling attention to the most tormenting irony in Nigeria today — leadership.

Mark Nwagwu, fANA, FAS, is a professor of cell and molecular biology