Must be worth it: The race for power or Leadership

The race is not for the swift…

It is simply impossible to ignore the current tussle and struggle for power
amongst all individuals eyeing public offices especially the title of president even as we look forward to the coming elections. Like always, many Nigerians led by the strong resentment they have for the current government for the years of suffering they have had to withstand are determined to vote in the lesser devil (“The devil you know is better than the one you do not know”, many of them say. But the question of how well they know the devil they think they know is a question that tags along with defensive answers). And so likewise, there are others who even after years of suffering are willing to vote in a candidate simply because, “He understands the system and would most certainly do better”. Nigerians being Nigerians by forgetting that they said the same thing the last time. Why the question of what the ones who have been in the system enough to understand it are still behaving very much like the system confuses them is never asked is downright astonishing and of course, laughable!

Ever wondered why elections in Nigeria always seems to be the opening of a can of worms? Between candidates whose past no one can trace, another who points to his past achievements and many others whose names many do not know and hope to win by nothing but the grace of God, it is more than clear to Nigerians that although by constitution we claim to operate a multi party system, we operate nothing but a two system in our political sphere. While it has been that way for several years, the tides seem to have taken a different turn this year. As such, instead of a two-party system this year, the turn of event shows a third party making its way to the dance floor, which no doubt, is an interesting turn of events. A turn of event no one saw coming.
With over 16 different parties producing their presidential candidates, the ponder begins as to why so many people think they are who Nigeria needs and why they think that they can fix Nigeria’s problems. Or maybe that’s not the case. One of the presidential aspirants made the claim of, “Emi lo kan” which translated literally means, “It is my turn”. So maybe, the seat of the president of Nigeria has become a matter of inheritance; passed down to those who claim ownership to the country. As if it is a deliberate effort to ignore that this country belongs to over 200 million people apart from themselves.
For all the jabs thrown at each other, and all the money moves being made, it must be worth it to be the president of Nigeria. But Just how much power does the seat hold and what would it mean to them if they do not occupy the seat they desperately crave to sit on? Would all hell break loose? Or would sanity reign? While many might want to say leadership comes in two forms, good leadership and bad leadership. This writer says, Leadership is Leadership! Bad Leadership is not leadership to begin with. As such, the question as to whether this race is for power or Leadership, although glaring with the truth remains a question looming in the air.