1.It is totally unacceptable for the police to fire teargas at young citizens attending non-violent #ENDSARS protests. We cannot sustain the idea that the voice of the African youth is not to be heard.
To our young citizens, please continue to speak. Please speak as leaders, not as victims. Leaders respond, victims react. Press the point to negotiate for a win/win. The police/public officer is also sometimes a victim of a warped system. Change everything. #ENDSARS
We are not going to be leaders tomorrow, we are leaders already. Leaders lead with vision and broad perspective. #ENDSARS is a beachhead. The war is bigger. Have a clear picture of a developed Nigeria. Push for a change in values and in the power equation.
I appeal to leaders in government and the police force, please listen and respond. #ENDSARSNOW as a courageous commitment to change. When people are not heard, they raise their voices. This is a generational opportunity to move 200m people, mostly youths, to achieve development.
The mean age in Africa is 19.5 years, but the mean age of Presidents is 62 years (The Brookings Institution, Foresight Africa Report 2019). We need interpreters between the generations. The world has changed and political leaders need to know this and to lead with good advice.
Building a developed economy is inevitable. Let citizens prosper through land reforms, electoral reforms, change of constitution, devolution of power, world class education, infrastructural development, access to capital, etc. #ENDSARS
Creating or providing these require courageous leadership. Let’s do it. God bless Nigeria. God bless Africa. #ENDSARS
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1.I fear that the life of the common man may not improve if Nigeria restructures into regions or even if it breaks up now. The culture of leadership that makes leaders to consume most of the resources and to leave most people impoverished will likely continue.
2.The first restructuring we need, and this is true for much of Africa, is for power to shift from political leaders to the citizens, so leaders become accountable, citizens have esteem and are empowered to prosper, and occupying public office is for service, not money-making.
3. This requires responsibility on the part of citizens. We must rise beyond religious and ethnic prejudice to have collective vision for development, and to adopt values like honesty, value for life, equality, excellence, etc.
If honesty is a major requirement for the long term success of your organisation/nation, but your members/citizens believe cutting corners is the smart way to go, their behaviour will ultimately sabotage your well-crafted strategies and your success. #leadwell
As a leader, knowing the beliefs and values of your team members and shifting them to align with the values of your organisation/nation is priority. With time, common behaviour becomes culture. Leading with clear values removes the mystery from decision making. #leadwell
Organisational leaders should employ people whose values align with those of their organisations. However, elected officials don’t employ citizens. We need to sell the values needed for success with stories and policies, and to, most importantly, model those values. #leadwell
1.I had a classmate in high school who decided beginning of one term to leave his old friends and to move with the brightest students in class. We were surprised.
2.His old friends saw it as an act of betrayal. At the end of the term, though, he was at the top of the class with his new friends. His former pals stayed in the “Association of Average Performers.”
3.Likewise, when an African adopts values that make western nations prosperous, it is common to people say he/she is now behaving like a white person. Some see it as a betrayal of African culture. It takes courage to make such changes at personal and community levels.
A Nigerian immigrant took his dad to the US on a first visit. After taking him on sight seeing for 3 days, the son said; “Daddy, you’ve not said anything. You’ve just been sighing”. The old man replied; “Our people are suffering at home but they don’t really know how bad it is”.
2. When we are raised in an environment where low quality living is the norm, (which happens in both rich and poor countries), we develop unconscious bias for mediocrity. Our normal is terribly abnormal but we don’t know.
3. Our expectations are so low leaders get away with anything. Even a good leader can’t achieve anything meaningful with such people, especially in a democracy. This is why the vision of a beautiful future is a critical need in leadership.
Many thanks to all that made contributions in response to my question on how a country can prosper by helping citizens to prosper. Here are some broad themes that emerged from the amazing contributions: #nationalprosperity
1. Educate citizens for free up to high school so they can have the character and in-demand skills needed to be productive. It gives large returns in income and counters widening inequality. #nationalprosperity
2. Create the environment for citizens to thrive and businesses to grow and scale through provision of world class infrastructure including power, water, roads, healthcare, and broadband connectivity through innovative funding. #nationalprosperity
1.Family is Important – Malachi 2:15 (NLT) – “Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit, you are His. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard yourself; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.” #Family
2.Family is important because it is the primary social unit that God designed for creating and molding human beings. Family is His greatest asset on this planet. In the beginning, God created and bless the family. Gen 1:26-28 (NLT). #Family
3.We have said before that man was created in the image of God and was made powerful. God only started the creation; he did not finish the job because he created man to be his co-creator. We will not fulfil our destiny as creators if there is nothing to create. #Family