By Dan Amor
Against
the backdrop of palpable apprehension in high places over public appreciation
of the enduring leadership qualities of the Acting President Professor Yemi
Osinbajo, it is necessary to pontificate on some critical underpinnings in the
relationship between leadership and followership as a philosophic construct.
The fact that President Muhammadu Buhari officially handed over the reins of
governance to his deputy, as required by law, before proceeding to the United Kingdom
on medical vacation on January 19, 2017, need not delay us here. It is obvious
that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the presidential election on a
joint ticket of Buhari/Osinbajo, from campaign to inauguration.
*Osinbajo |
This, also,
need not delay us here. But what has generated more heat than light in
recent times is the concept of delivery and appreciation. Whereas Nigerians
overwhelmingly believe that a messenger who delivers neatly and squarely must
be roundly appreciated or commended for a job well done, a cabal which is
jittery over the messenger's looming popularity and sturdy bulwark does not.
That is the crux of the matter. Yet governance is a contract between the
government and the governed. We give you our mandate to deliver our needs and
security. If you deliver, we applaud you; if you don't, we murmur.
So far, since he mounted the podium of
leadership of Nigeria
as Acting President, Prof. Osinbajo appears to be performing. From his body
language, his utterances and his actions, the Ogun State-born professor of law
is not prepared to hoodwink anybody. His rapprochement with the Niger Delta,
the goose that lays the golden egg, is legendary. The oil-bearing region had
experienced leaders or rulers who wielded the big stick thereby amplifying
their restiveness. Abacha militarized the Niger Delta and murdered their
agitators. Obasanjo spent over N200million daily for eight years to maintain
the Joint Task Force in the region and ordered the extermination of Odi and
Odioma communities in broad daylight pogroms.
Yar'Adua it was who brandished
the carrots because he recognized their anxieties. Buhari had mobilized troops
to the region and talked tough with unpretentious swagger before the current
intervention by Osinbajo. Whether or not he ordered the latter to do what he is
doing, or whether Osinbajo's shuttle diplomacy in the Niger Delta is part of
their party's manifesto, the truth is that the messenger deserves applause. It
is not only that we should complain when our leaders are not leading welł; we
must also show some appreciation when they are doing well enough.