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D.AKINSANYA JULIUSON HonDBA, IOM
Political Strategist,
Professional Investigator, Honorary Representative
Hon V/Chairman, Congress of Diplomats and
Parliamentarians
Fellow of the Atlantic Council of the United Kingdom
PRESIDENT OBASANJO MUST CHOOSE A ROUTE HE CAN BE PROUD OF TAKING
THE KEY TO PROGRESS
IN NIGERIA LIES IN SINCERITY, NOT CYNICISM
WHY PRESIDENT
OBASANJO MUST LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF WISDOM
WHY NIGERIAN LEADERS NEED TO
LEARN FROM THE BEST
NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY
MUST BE MADE TO BE ADMIRED
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PRESIDENT OBASANJO MUST CHOOSE A ROUTE HE CAN BE PROUD OF TAKING
by D. Akinsanya Juliuson HonDBA, IOM
WHY OUR LEADERS NEGATIVE THOUGHT'S CAN DO THEM FAR MORE HARM THAN ANY
POISON
"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let
me be misunderstood." So goes the classic song. Yet no matter how
sincerely the words are intoned, the request never seems to be
granted. That's hardly surprising. Given our many languages, nuances
and subtleties, the real wonder is why we aren't all misunderstood a
lot more. And as for good intentions - well, we know what they pave.
If some of us crave clarity now, we must be very careful about what we
say and how. Some writings are perfectly punctuated yet are
unreadable. The author has made no effort to look at the words
objectively. They waffle on and on, obeying all the rules of the
English language, while other people manage to say a lot more, in a
lot less space, by focusing only on the need to get their point
across. A misplaced apostrophe here, a spelling error there - what
does it matter as long as the meaning comes across? Criticism! Not me
now. I'm just doing my best to be clear. and also telling it as it is.
Philosophers don't see the future in its entirety. They are given
glimpses. It's the same for people who are known for seeing the future
like the seers, psychics and others (Likewise, weather forecasters,
economists and military strategists). Our ability to" see what's
coming" will invariably be limited. But we should still strive to gain
as much insight as we can. There are certain obvious mistakes that we
can avoid making with a little thought. As for the mistakes which are
not so obvious? Maybe they are not mistakes. Every action though, has
a reaction. That's the first law of "Karma". We cannot make a single
move without having, somehow, an impact of some kind on our
environment. Not only do we alter the world around us by our attitude
and behaviour, we alter our inner world. We close our minds to
positive possibilities when we become entrenched in negative thought
patterns. That's why it is always so important to be fair, noble,
kind, honest, sympathetic, forgiving and wise. Let our leaders act as
impeccably as they can now and then the reaction that ensues will be
the one that's best.
WHY PRESIDENT OBASANJO MUST CHOOSE A ROUTE HE CAN BE PROUD OF TAKING
They say that what goes up, must come down. But what's wrong with
that? Something seems to be 'taking off' in Nigeria at the moment. Our
President's hopes are now being raised yet he fears that they may
later be dashed. Why should they be? Why should he feel so inclined to
be guarded and careful? The president is right to recognise that a
certain arrangement by some individuals cannot last forever. But that
doesn't mean it can't end in a happy, timely way. One day though,
Nigerians will find him out. His cover will be blown. His disguise
will be destroyed. The truth will emerge, and then where will he be?
Hmn!. It's funny how no matter what age we reach - or what level of
experience and authority we attain in life, we all still secretly feel
like children who are only pretending and who will eventually be
caught out by the adults. But our president IS a grown up. He does
know what he is doing (as much as anyone does). So, what matters, is
not what he
is planning - or thinking - or saying... but what he is actually
doing. Or what he is not doing, as the case may be. All the
intelligent explanation, justification and conversation in this world
cannot compete, now, against the power and impact of a single gesture
or action. If our president want to be really smart, he should be
smart enough to see the difference between the signals his actual
deeds are sending out and the messages he wants to communicate. Is he
doing the right thing? He can't be sure... yet. Nor, can he
automatically conclude that what's happening is wrong. The future
hangs in the balance. What's going to tip it one way or another? Not
'what he has done' but 'what he does next.' He can't change the past.
He can, though, ensure that his choices are as conscious, as wise,
informed, sincere and noble as he knows how to make them. He should
start from here. President Obasanjo must choose a route he can be
proud of taking and he'll reach a destination that proves perfect.
There are two kinds of chaos. There is constructive craziness... and
then there is destructive disruption. Much the same can be said of
order. There is satisfying stability... and then there is oppressive
efficiency. What matters now, is not his ability to turn madness into
sanity. It's his ability to distinguish between something healthy and
something undesirable. Let's allow our president to make his judgement
now, on the basis of what 'feels right' to his heart, not what makes
the 'most sense' to his mind. We must all understand that, there's a
saint in all of us and, of course, a sinner, too. The harder we strive
to lead our lives by the highest possible standards, the more aware we
become of our own shortcomings and failings. Only the pompous and the
seriously self-deluded think of themselves as righteous in every way.
It often seems easier to abandon all claims to the moral high ground
than to defend a hill which is crumbling beneath our feet. That said,
President Obasanjo's efforts to be wise now, will surely bring big
rewards... as will all his efforts to communicate clearly and fairly.
If I were President Obasanjo, I'd listen to the voice of understanding
and do the most honorable thing. The world is watching Your
Excellency.
WHY NO SUM IN THE WORLD CAN BUY US INTEGRITY
We can hold a hundred conversations, ask as many people as we wish,
make as many emphatic statements as we care to. None of this will make
us any wiser.
We are trying to understand an emotion with our intellect. This is
like trying to taste an orange by holding it to our ear. We are using
the wrong tool for the job - and it is worse than useless. Can anyone
conclude that the orange has no taste because his ear cannot hear it?
How then can we decide that our feeling has no relevance, just because
our inner computer cannot comfortably explain it? Whatsoever on earth
is going on in our country today is indicative of a fresh start. We
can wipe the slate clean and begin again. We can put the past behind
us. We can move on. We can forget yesterday and greet tomorrow etc..We
can do all of these things. Assuming, of course, that we want to.
Maybe we don't. Maybe we prefer to be stuck in a rut - or maybe we
just actively enjoy it all the way that it currently is. Nothing as
far as I am concerned, obliges us now to instigate change. But plenty
warmly invites us to. Let's be churlish, let's accept our opportunity!
Trees do not seek planning permission to grow. Birds do not clear a
flight path before take-off. Rain does not request a licence to fall.
It's all amazing how many natural processes manage to occur without
the intervention of the appropriate authorities. No doubt, in time, we
will find some way to regulate them. Meanwhile, it is nice to know
that in a world of conformity, there is still some hope for
spontaneity. Are we doing the right thing or the wrong thing now in
our country, Nigeria? That depends on who we ask. Let's try asking no
one, other than ourselves. By the way, why in Nigeria do we do the
things we do? What are our true motives? We settle for an explanation
that seems to make sense as long as we do not question it too closely.
Months, years, perhaps decades later, we see what was really going on.
We also realize how we were led by other forces. People were pushing
us in certain directions and, by the looks of things, guardian angels
too. Sometimes, we imagine that other people's lives are far more
organized than our own. Even when this is clearly not the case, we
assume that these instances are the exception to the rule. Surely most
folk don't live in a world that is so crazy or chaotic? Of course,
they do. They just do a better job of hiding it. Some people have
every reason to be proud of themselves for the way they are handling a
stressful situation, especially in Nigeria. Others in their shoes
would do worse, not better. But can money buy us love? Money can't buy
us love, but if we don't know what real love is it can buy us
something that seems like it for a while. It can't buy us true talent
either, but it can get us false flattery. And no sum in the world will
buy us wisdom or integrity. The irony is that if we don't have any we
won't realize how badly we need some. Some of us should now
understand what we need and why second best won't do. Soft power
though is the ability to get what we want by attracting and persuading
others to adopt our goals. It differs from hard power, the ability to
use carrots and sticks of economic and military might to make others
follow our will. Both hard and soft power are important don't get me
wrong..but attraction is much cheaper than coercion, and an asset that
needs to be nourished. This is the voice of reason and I'm only
telling it..just as it is. Our leaders? God our heavenly Father,
please open their eyes so they can see, understand and appreciate you.
THAT WHICH DOES NOT DESTROY US MAKES US STRONGER
That which does not destroy us though, makes us stronger. Or so they
say. They are, of course quite right. But they gloss over a rather
important implication when they make this statement. It's not simply
'that which does not destroy us' but only 'that which looks horribly,
convincingly as if it really is going to destroy us' which makes us
stronger. Before we can face a fear and then transcend it, we first
have to experience the fear. Before we cross a road, though, we need
to look both ways. We can't just assume, because there's no traffic to
our left, that the view from the right is equally clear. Nor can we
look and then stride out regardless of what we have seen. The process
is not a piece of pointless protocol or an academic exercise. It's
essential and it must be taken seriously. As with roads, so with all
paths needing careful navigation. We must always check carefully
before making a move. When the time is really right, we'll feel really
sure. Till then, better to hesitate than to make a mistake. To me that
is simply enough for the wise. They say there's no substitute for
experience. But there most certainly is. We use it all the time. It
does the job terribly well. The world-class, world-famous substitute
for experience is... imagination! Sometimes, it's far better than a
substitute. It's a deeply preferable alternative. But, in fairness to
the originator of that old saying, sometimes, yes, imagination IS no
substitute. Sometimes our imagination could be our enemy not our
friend. It could put us off an idea that we really ought to try. Not
until we do a little practical exploration and THEN make up our mind.
There is beauty, even in ugliness. There is hope, even in sorrow.
There is magic, even in mundanity. We've just got to look for it. It
isn't easy to see. But potentially, that makes discovery more
comforting and rewarding. We are always looking, at a series of things
that we do not particularly want to see. It's not that they are all
bad; it's more that they do not match our expectation. Can we alter
our idea? Can we adapt? Can we find some way to see those clouds as
'silver lining delivery systems'? We can, if we are willing to try. If
there is something we have the power to change now in our country,
let's change it. If there isn't, let's change the way we are looking
at it.
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".The
key to progress in Nigeria now lies in sincerity, not cynicism,
warmth not coldness, communication not isolation. To do our best,
all we have to do is refrain from doing our worst. It is perfectly
possible to hold an entire conversation without sharing a single
piece of useful information. People do it all the time. They
exchange platitudes and pleasantries, gossip and hearsay. They make
amused observations about the passing show. They may argue or agree,
but they rarely reveal their most important feelings and fears.
Their deepest hopes and most powerful passions stay secret. And
then, they wonder why nobody ever seems to really understand them.
In our country, Nigeria….Let’s dig a little deeper today. All good
things though must come to an end. But then so, too, must all bad
ones. We know that, bad things can drag on for a heck of a long time
before they finally leave our lives. Why then, should we assume that
good things are likely to depart any faster? We Nigerian’s mustn’t
worry about a problem that doesn't yet exist."
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