Decisions for Community Livelihood: A Guide for Sound Leadership

 The echo of bad leadership is all over the world. Anyone who can wave it can become the best leader. Community leadership is now being considered as grassroots for all leaderships, it should even be taught in schools. No individual exists without belonging to a community. No nation is made without a community. Our decisions should count for building our communities. When you have made a personal achievement, strive to prosper your community. Help the helpless, and that’s a great decision.

We survive by giving aids and support to each other just like a referral or binary business. If you think that you can make it alone, at last, you would discover the pain. A man’s destiny is controlled by his decision just as a community is developed or destroyed by the decision of its inhabitants. What do I mean? Everyone should join hands in building a peaceful community—a peaceful nation.

We can hardly build a great nation when we cannot even build a community. In a community, your decision is important just like the decision of everyone else. The majority of persons only bring confusion, disunity, and discrimination in the community, instead of development. That is their contribution and decision, very shameful.

Some people are scared to contribute or suggest to community development because they feel that their opinions would not be taken. They would be afraid of opposition, criticism, and propaganda. In most cases, community heads or leaders do not give room for the opinions of the common man so that it would not be seen that their administration is being run by ideas of the commoners. This error is also found in government both at the state and federal levels. Most countries of the world suffer because good opinions are not always taken.

The fate of community, state or nation, is in the decisions of its people just as the fate of a man is in his own decisions. One man does not make public decisions in as much as democracy is practiced. Everyone must be involved in public decisions because its dividends will affect everyone. To facilitate growth and development, everyone should be given equal right and opportunity. If we can decide our future, we can also decide the future of our nation.

In Africa, democracy is bleeding and the opposite is being practiced, and that is why a lot of insurgencies are befalling us. Our leaders are not diligent in discharging their duties; they are greedy, selfish and tyrannize the poor. Our laws were written to protect the common man, but no one enforces them. Democracy has become a forgotten story in Africa as despots have occupied the seats of governance, substituting democracy for despotism. Instead of the laws to protect us, they are being triggered against us— the poor masses.

The mantle of leadership is a privilege and not a right. If our leaders have been careful with their decisions, we would not be suffering the way we do today. We are suffering today for the wrong decisions made yesterday. The effects of negative decisions are always unforgettable. So far so good, leadership is not a one man's task but a collective effort. It is the duty of the citizens to support their leaders and the duty of the leaders to protect their citizens. Leadership is two-way traffic.

The major problem of man is: lacking respect and fear for God, our creator. If the fear of God is found in a community, state or country, the favour of God will also be found in it as a byproduct. A leader who ignores God leads to blindly. Keys to community development are discussed below:

CHANGE OF MENTALITY

Change shows growth and modification, and that is all we need to make success of anything. It does not require you to change your name, skin colour, profession or career, but it requires you to change your attitude. Your attitude can bring you success or subject you to poverty. Our attitudes direct or determine our actions on anything.

A new attitude is required to make the right decision. It is required for community growth, where everyone’s way of thinking would be different from the former. Attitudes that will cause peace to reign will definitely unity a ‘must’. How you think affects how you behave. How you behave determines how you live your life. Change is all about making adjustments. Adjust your attitude. You should not leave it the way it was last year; change it regularly.

Sequel to community growth, change is a driving force. The leaders must learn how to convert these changes from individuals to tangible things for the benefit of the community. Human management is the supreme of all management, for humans are hard to manage. If a community must grow and develop, superstitious belief, weak ideologies, and discrimination must be shunned and forbidden. Man should stop being barbaric towards another. The best advice so far is this:

“Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” —George Bernard Shaw.

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

There are sets of people who detest investing in their communities, whether in human or in infrastructure. That is bad. It cannot aid in community development. Nigeria is developing because most of the companies, factories, schools and organizations in it belong to individuals. Nevertheless, those infrastructures are seen as one of the things that beautify Nigeria. We should do the same in our various communities.

RESPECT AUTHORITY

Every citizen obeys authority willingly or by duress. We have a lot of rebels in all corners of the country. The popular among them are Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen. These people have become defiant and resist established authority violently. They have wasted much blood of the innocents for no just cause. Even if there is a cause, human blood does not worth shedding. Rebels defile authority which is against the instruction of God, our creator. Rebels defile the rule of law.

No sovereignty would maintain peace when its people work against their leaders. The insurgencies in Nigeria have brought so many setbacks to the country in a good number of years. How then can we move forward under the framework of the quagmire? It’s not possible. Let’s learn how to respect the established authority in charge of national, state and community affairs. God recommends people of all nations to respect authority for the benefits of all.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” —Romans 13:1.

Most people believe that leadership positions have nothing to do with God. We shouldn’t fool ourselves, for it is proven from the above Bible context that, every authority has its origin from God. We defile authority because we lack knowledge. Unfortunately for rebels, a measure was also set by the establisher of authority Himself, and each person is judged with the measure due to his offense. Here is the measure:

“For rulers do not hold terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be recommended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” —Romans 13:3-4.

 Whether you are in your country or in diaspora, respect authority. If you do that, you will have no fear of punishment, and that’s the right decision. Have it mind always that, any decision you make against the established authority is a decision made against God. It is sound and clear here:

“Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” —Romans 13:2.

You have no other option than to obey the laws of your community, state, and country. That’s how peace is maintained. For the purpose of peace for both rulers and the ruled, the bible further advised:

“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” —Romans 13:6-7.

AVOID SELFISH AMBITION

Africa has been clothed with greedy leaders, who only fight for their stomachs and those of their family, but subject the poor to struggling for survival. Selfishness has caused Africa more harm than good. Good leaders avoid selfishness. They shun nepotism and tribalism. They embrace sacrifice and commitment. Selflessness is a key to sound leadership, but who can agree to be selfless?

This cannot be over-emphasized. When a leader is selfish, he does things that are inevitably unimportant for development. Everything he does would gratify his selfish ambition. A selfless and sacrificial leader is valued more than gold, even when it is not revealed by man, but nature and scenarios do. A reformer is one who makes a positive change in any sector of life, and not only in his home.

When opportunities come, reach out to the poor and empower them. Stop promoting nepotism all the time; give others the chance to grab some opportunities as you had given your relatives. Nothing good can ever happen to the poor masses when a selfish leader is on the seat.

Good leadership brings peace, a good economy, and fewer crises. It protects the rights of the citizens and does not prosecute them falsely. It brings food, and not hunger. It brings a standardized economy, and not inflation. It pays workers their salaries and wages and does not owe. It appreciates the support and loyalty of the citizens.

Today, our leaders trade us for profits just to maintain their political ambitions. Our world is surrounded by selfish and wicked leaders who have less value for the poor masses, especially in Africa. Selfishness results in tribalism, crisis, and war. I can’t cease to praise the good leaders in Africa and the world at large. You have my respect.

In Nigeria, tribalism has taken over the seats of leadership at the national levels. It is a fatal situation that should be readdressed. What is happening in Nigeria is a terrible situation: the Hausas detest having the Igbos at the seat of power; the Igbos forbids the Yorubas to rule, and; the Yorubas disapprove the Hausas to rule. If eventually, one of the tribes succeeds and rule; selfishness would emerge, which often turns to ethnic and religious battle. Let’s shun selfishness for the purpose of oneness.

EMPOWERMENT PROVISIONS

Making provisions for empowerment in the community, state or country, is key to development. When youths are empowered, development has been planted, which will eventually grow to be a seed of blessing. Some families can hardly afford to train their children, and this is a critical situation that leads to mischievous life. To help the situation, the government should intervene and make the situation fair. This can be done by providing scholarships, free education or reduction of school fees. By this, poor parents could afford to enroll their children in schools and become hopeful for a better future.

A community that has hopeless youths, an unplanned future, and it cannot develop. Our governments should put more efforts in making provisions for their youths, like: free education scheme (from basic to tertiary institutions if possible, for brilliant youths from poor background and the less privileged), information communication technology (ICT) training center, trade center (where youths who wish to learn trade can be absorbed), workshops (where youths who wish to become artisans would be absorbed), job opportunities (for graduates of higher institutions), and other skills acquisition programmes.

These would facilitate development in the nation. Leaders should refrain from using jobless and unemployed youths to achieve their nefarious activities. Instead, should train and empower them for service to the nation. Youths would succeed when empowerment provisions are made for them, even if they are cursed. Empowerment helps to avert spiritual and physical curses. We should not forget that!

AVOID DISCRIMINATION

During my school days, I was influential and I gained a lot of respect from my course mates. I did all I could to unite everyone using the privileges I had. I didn’t discriminate. I built a formidable peer group we made efforts to success.

It baffles me whenever I see people discriminating. It has become the order of the day in our present time. Even if it was so in centuries ago, should we indulge in it in this present time? We should aim at global friendship and not discrimination. In your decisions, do you discriminate or unite? Let’s be proactive at this point. Most youths make decisions that hijack social peace than harmony.

This is common with the Igbos. They can discriminate their fellow, noting that they are outcasts. They address them as osu (which means outcast) while those they consider as (freeborn) are addressed as diala. This type of discrimination has done much harm to the Igbos— it has rendered most ladies unmarried and has led most young men to make wrong choices in marriage. Visit any Igbo land and witness this yourself.

When you don’t build peace, you are building coercion. When you are discriminating, you are fighting against peace and development. Discrimination obstructs growth, love, and unity. Invariably, it brings prolonged enmity. God recommends us to love one another. When you do not love, you will discriminate and when you love, you will unite. Never consider anyone inferior, everyone is equal. It is clearly stated that:

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile- the same Lord is Lord of all who richly blesses all who call on him.” —Romans 10:12.

In most countries, racism is at its peak despite the fight against it. This was the fight Martin Luther King Jr., and his colleague fought in centuries ago, to an extent of giving up their lives to protect the existence of the human race on the surface of the earth. Luther fought this battle because he believed that we all share the same fate as humans, created by one God in His divine nature.

There is no difference between the black and the white, the Christian and the Muslim, the rich and the poor, the ruler and the ruled, the male and the female; for all belongs to one God, and returns to the same dust.

I thank God for the present century; an era where the world citizens work for unity and global peace. That’s what we do in my organization: Initiative for African Citizens (IAC). It’s one of the social groups that promote peace in Africa through the youths. People of this time should volunteer to promote global peace, starting from our respective communities.

The United Nations has mapped out her Vision 2030, which is the Stainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote peace, education, food security, gender equality, and so many others. And we are called to support this vision at any capacity we can. Because of the change we want in our world, we can now relate with other people from other countries, without discriminating whether they are whites or blacks, handsome or ugly, tall or short, rich or poor, Christians or Muslims, literates or illiterates, outcast or freeborn (osu or diala). Our concern is to build global peace and progress at all cost.

Our main focus here is to educate everyone that discrimination kills unity, destroys peace, and brings conflict, crisis, and war. It prevents leaders from achieving their mission. It demotes anyone that inclines to it. Let everyone refrain from it and embrace unity and oneness. That’s what good citizens do, and that’s the right decision. And that’s how we can decide the future of our world.

EMBRACE KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge is all it takes to overcome odd beliefs and traditions that have kept most people, communities, and nations undeveloped. Knowledge is a sign of change, and superstition is a sign of ignorance. Acquiring knowledge is like inheriting a fortune. Successful people use knowledge as a tool to unlock riches. Have you not heard that people say that knowledge is power? Without knowledge, it would be impossible to make the right decision, and when you fail to make the right decision, you would fail to make success. Without knowledge, you would hardly acquire powers.

Knowledge is one of the criteria for community development. Most times, other people’s knowledge is enough to achieve your mission— it must not necessarily be yours. Learn how to tap from other people’s knowledge too. King Herod did it. He lacked the knowledge to track Jesus Christ at Bethlehem. He consulted the three wise men and used their knowledge.

In most cases, you go to people to enquire information about a particular thing that you have less or no idea of— everyone does it. When we do that, we have consulted them for their knowledge. If you want to be successful in anything, seek knowledge. A fellow wrote:

“Successful people are life-long learners. They understand that if they do not pay the price to learn today, they will pay the price of having not learned in the future.” —Fox Lane.

Knowledge is the key to success and you need to know how to acquire it and how to put it into practice at the right time. Learning never stops, continue learning without ceasing, and you will easily make success. I meditate on this daily:

“The illiterates of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” —Alvin Toffler.