Where have all the Leaders gone?

“Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say ‘stay the course.”--Lee Iacocca

ON October 1,  2014 Nigeria celebrated another Independence Day Anniversary. And as Nigerian citizens we are all probably asking the same question in one form or the other – “Where have all the leaders gone?”

The above quote is the opening paragraph of the first chapter of Lee Iacocca’s book titled “Where Have all the Leaders Gone?” I have borrowed the title and some ideas from his book for the purpose of this article. I believe that many Nigerians can identify with Iacocca’s statement above. Some of us may have put it in almost the exact same words he used, to describe the state of affairs in our nation Nigeria, while some of us would have been a little more diplomatic. Being a DK (diplomat’s kid), I definitely would have been more diplomatic. Nonetheless anyone who knows Lee Iacocca will tell you that he doesn’t mince words and that he is a straight shooter! He says it as it is and as he feels it with no apologies to anybody! That’s Iacocca for you!

For those of us who may not know Lee Iacocca let me give you some background as to who he is. Iacocca worked in Ford Motors for many years and in 1970 he ended up becoming the president of Ford which was at the time the second largest company in the world. In 1978 he was fired by his boss Henry Ford II for reasons you would find hard to believe and also for some other reasons best known to his boss Henry Ford II!Iacocca later moved to an ailing and almost bankrupt Chrysler Motors which he miraculously revitalized through a lot of sacrifice (he took a pay cut which made his salary $1 per annum), sheer determination, hard work, smart work and out-of-the-box thinking! He went completely out-of-the-box in getting solutions to the problems facing Chrysler Motors at the time he took over the reins of leadership in the company. His autobiography is a must read for those of us Nigerians that have a “can do” attitude about Nigeria.

In his book Where have all the Leaders Gone? Iacocca asks: “Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence and common sense?”

Today I ask the same question about Nigeria – Where are the voices of Nigerian leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? Where are they? Where are the leaders that will give us HOPE for our seemingly hopeless situation? Where are the leaders who will give us FAITH for the FUTURE? Where are the leaders who will LOVE and SERVE us as our servant leaders?

We are facing a leadership crisis in Nigeria! We are facing a leadership vacuum! We are facing a bankruptcy of leadership! Who are the Nigerian leaders who will fill up the leadership vacuum in Nigeria? Who is the leader who is fit to wear the crown of leadership? Who is the Nigerian leader whose feet will fit into the shoes of leadership for the GREAT NEW NIGERIA we desire to build?

Where have all the leaders gone?

One too many things have been going wrong and are going wrong! Have you heard anyNigerian leader in recent times inspire us and tell us that everything will be OK? Have you heard any Nigerian leader in recent times say to us that we are in this together? Have you heard any Nigerian leader in recent times say that we will get through all this in one piece?

Where have all the leaders gone?

Our planes were dropping from the sky and crashing like many china plates dropping to the ground and breaking into uncountable pieces.

Bombs have been going off regularly in our nation like the frequency with which we hear knockouts and fire crackers during the Christmas period. So manyNigerians have been killed by Boko Haram. Our girls were abducted, kidnapped and have been held hostage by Boko Haram for one too many days and months.

Where have all the leaders gone?

Corruption has become the currency of trade in high and low places! Unnecessary hardship has taken over the land due to a lack of sensitive leadership! Nigerians both the rich and the poor are in tears crying out, screaming and shouting because our collective sorrow is more than we can bear! Many Nigerian youth and children have become orphans! And many Nigerian parents have been forced to bury their children!Not too long ago, life was snuffed out of our young doctors in training in Jos! They were killed and buried before they got a chance to the save lives they were training to save! What a horrible irony!

Where have all the leaders gone?

Who is the Nigerian leader who will wipe away our tears? Who is the Nigerian leader who will comfort us? Who is the Nigerian leader who will ensure that our children (and our parents) have not died in vain? Who will give us some answers? Who will inspire us to GREATNESS? Who will with his words lift us to heights we never thought possible for us to attain? Who will be proactive instead of reactive in dealing with our challenges? Who will motivate us? Who will bring out the best in us as a nation of many nations? Who will appeal to the good in our hearts and stop this seemingly endless appeal to the evil acts of the evil men?Who is going to motivate us with possibilities and not with threats?Who is going to help us to rise above our circumstances? Who’s going to make us proud that we are Nigerians?

Where have all the leaders gone?

If you are a patriot you must definitely be outraged by the chaos, confusion and crisis in our nation! If you are not outraged you definitely cannot call yourself a patriot!In these times of crisis we need bold thinking! We must take bold actions! We must take bold steps! And we must have bold moves!

Where is the Nigerian leader who will be bold and help us to be bold? Where is the leader that will make us excited about the opportunities being created for the future of our children, grandchildren and great-grand children? Where is the leader that will properly articulate the Nigerian dream and the Nigerian vision?

Where is the leader who will inspire us with statements such as “We will do great things together!”? Where is the leader who will help make us unstoppable and unbeatable as a people and a nation?

Where is the leader who will unleash our passion and our enthusiasm for innovatively reinventing our nation Nigeria?

Where have all the leaders gone?

These leaders have been silent for way to long! These leaders have been hiding for way to long! YES! You and I the Nigerian patriots have been hiding in our comfort zones for too many years! It is time for us to come out of our comfort zones! It is time for you to come out of your comfort zone! It is time for me to come out of my comfort zone! As a patriot you are a leader! As a patriot I am a leader! As Nigerian patriots we are the leaders that Nigerians are waiting for at a time such as this!

If there is one thing you and I must learn and understandas patriots, it is that you and I cannot get anywhere by standing as spectators on the sidelines hoping and waiting for somebody else to take action! We need to take action NOW! We need to get involve NOW! We need to make a positive difference NOW! We need to engage NOW! We need to get into the game NOW and play the team sport of nation building!

We the Nigerian patriots must step up to the plate of RESPONSIBILITY! We must stop sitting on the fence. And byjumping off the fence of indecision we can take the LEAD!We must take up real OWNERSSHIP for the project Nigeria. We must roll up our sleeves and trousers and do the HARD WORK and get the job done – no excuses! We must make our contribution and SERVE our nation and our people Nigerians. We must stand up and be counted for GOOD! We must uphold JUSTICE and TRUTH! We must strive to leave our nation BETTER than we met it! We must give back much more than what we take from Nigeria? We must hold ourselves ACCOUNTABLE for the destiny of our nation Nigeria? We must take control of that which we can take control of. We must become the change we desire to see! You and I must create change in our various circles of influence through the little things(little deeds) we do daily as acts of leadership!

Where have all the LEADERS gone? Where have all the PATRIOTS gone? Where are the PATRIOTS hiding?

Nigerians are calling all PATRIOTS to ARISE! Nigerians are saying ARISE, it is time to come out of your hiding place!Nigerians are saying ARISE, it is time for you to come out of your comfort zone! Nigerians are saying ARISE, it is time for us to step up to the plate and build the GREAT NEW NIGERIA!!!

Where have all the leaders gone?