Akan Udofia, leadership and the new paradigm

Edgar, won’t you do another play in Akwa Ibom? Why are you sticking out your neck like this? What if your candidate does not win? Why are you not being strategic so that you can have enough time to manoeuvre especially now that His Excellency has thrown up his preferred candidate?

These are the questions that have dogged me since I decided to take a closer interest in the politics of my state.

This is exactly the narrative we seek to change in our National politic and do not think for a second that I believe that we will scratch the surface in our lifetime.

Nigerian political space has been bedevilled by near sightedness, a lack of depth and a failure to pursue an ideology as we throw up leadership.

Leadership is such a bane to our development and sadly we would rather sell our rights on a bowl of porridge than critically look at issues and values in choosing who we stand behind

In Akwa Ibom, the crass opportunism that comes with this is just so apparent.  In my engagements within the state, discussions on choice of leadership boils down to spending power.

I spoke with a top media person today. A 30 year veteran in broadcasting and his position was clear,’ Akan Udofia is stingy, he cannot be my candidate.  Onofiok’s spending power is limited, so we will be looking for a candidate that can spend and mobilize

This I dare say is the general attitude towards the issue the length and breath of the State and indeed the Country.

The conviction needed to sift and look through profiles, tying leadership to specific set societal goals remains a mirage with the people taking positions on the back of green backs .

My last play was massive and it was free and it was in Uyo. I was shocked when a group of students walked up to me to ask for mobilization to attend.

My village sent in a delegation and after seeing the play, gathered around me asking to be mobilized. I stared at my Aunty and she said, this is Akwa Ibom, you most mobilize otherwise they will not come next time.

I will not spend over N20m for a free show and still pay people to attend. Even students in our Tetiary Institutions studying Theatre, still wanted to be mobilized to come and attend a free 3 day theatre clinic by famed Prof Ahmed Yerima.

So now we have a state filled with zombified electorate who have been conditioned to move towards the greatest mobilizer.

This comes with a very painful but avoidable consequence. Akwa Ibom despite its oil wealth is still in the backwaters of National development.

A pitiable figure on the league table of socio- economic development despite its full potentials simply because our citizenry are mobilized to throw in cavernous leaders

A quick and cursory look at our Governors san Military and you will see the heinous effect on the state by mobilized leaders.

Our message is very clear. My candidate doesn’t have to win for me to prove a point. A point that should show the rest of us how to be selfless and logic driven in taking positions especially positions on leadership.

So if I don’t do another Play in Uyo or lose relationships as a result so be it.

At the level of elites, we should lead the way in changing this narrative. We must be able to stand by our conviction in deciding where we stand and work to get this strategy cascaded down towards the citizenry

Listen. We find ourselves in a wicked chicken and egg situation.  The mobilized system throws up lame Leaders who leave the people impoverished and who in turn will need to be mobilized to basically survive using their one vote as the currency of trade in this wicked transaction

We must break the chain in this generation. We must use 2023 as the linchpin to break the chain.

Let all candidates come out and show cause why they should lead at all levels. Let’s reject the ‘God chosen Preferred Candidate type’ whose only claim is being the most appropriate in executing some uncanny plot with no direct benefits to the people

This opportunity can not be missed and this is why I listened to them all, did my own assessment and took a position driven by my firm believe that our State deserves at this point entrepreneurial leadership

Now it doesn’t matter if my candidate wins or not. It shouldn’t because my choice is based on my thought processes  my outlook and my clear conviction that this person is in a better position to lead at this time.

If we all take this position, then it will be easy to map out performance indicators and quantitative measures to monitor and regulate leadership.

How do you regulate God sent Leadership. A leader who derives his legitimacy  from God? Who are we to question God. So even if he goes around with a localized outlook, we will accept cos we can’t query his source.

All these may sound utopian and not pragmatic still doesn’t stop us from sewing its send  at this point especially now that the politic has been weakened by the incumbent’s amateurish attempt at imposition.

This is the time. We may never have this wonderful opportunity in this lifetime to comprehensively overhaul leadership in our state.