By NAMU SANUSI
A leader is someone who leads either a small group or an entire community. He might be selected by other members of the group to lead on account of his personal attributes that may have endeared him to his people. These people see him as their role model and one who should be emulated by the larger group.
And even though there may be some dissenting views, the leader should be able to tolerate such opinions. A leader is not necessarily the best amongst the people. But because of the responsibilities entrusted on him, others are willing to obey him.
A good follower is not he who just follows the leader sheepishly. He needs to see the leader as a person who will actualize their collective dreams. What then do we expect from our leaders, starting from the governors, to legislators, local government chairmen and their councilors?
We expect to see leaders from whom we will draw inspiration. Their lifestyles should be a source of strength and encouragement to the followership. They should eschew mediocrity and strive for excellence. They should also realize that leadership is a burden and so should be able to bear the cross of their electorate. This means that they should have a large heart to enable them accommodate all.
As leaders, they are models. And as a one-time head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, posits “The behavior of any society is a reflection of the leadership.” Therefore, they must strive to live lives worthy of emulation. Because God has placed a burden on them, they should, therefore, govern with the fear God in them. They should strive to prove to us that they are true democrats by accommodating all shades of opinion.
They should do away with the winner-takes all syndrome that had characterized our previous socio-political landscape. They should learn to imbibe negotiation as a means of reaching consensus. Much as we urge them to be principled, they should see the need to shift ground once in a while – if it is in the interest of the majority of the people.
They should be bold in taking decisions. We would want to see morally upright leaders who will not double-speak. We would want to see leadership who are humble, not given to extravagance or ostentations lifestyle. We want them to maintain a low profile in line with the realities of the time.
For governors, they should embrace the state as their constituency. For legislators, let the interests of their constituents come first. As local government chairmen, they should let the people at the grassroots feel the impact of their leadership. And as councilors, they should endeavor to consult regularly with their people and enlighten them on the policy thrust of their administration.
As leaders, they should always remember that they are servants of the people. It is, however, worthy of note that a leader can only be successful if they have the support of the followers.
We should therefore support our leaders by criticizing them constructively and offering meaningful suggestions and alternatives to their policies. Our support is very crucial because once a leader realise he has lost the support of the followership, he becomes disillusioned and disenchanted. We should realise that no matter how powerful an office or position is, the occupant is ineffective and powerless if the followership does not support him. This is not, however, suggesting that we should support our leaders blindly.
Democracy is all about give and take. We should seek to foster and keep it alive. The task of planting, watering and nurturing democracy falls on all of us all – leaders and followers alike.
