PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF APPOINTING VISIONARY LEADERS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF BAYELSA STATE
Posted by SAINT MIENPAMO on May 25, 2013
Posted in: Governance. 77 Comments
Leadership & Governance Series – Part 2
By: Ebi Nurseman Isaac , ACIA, FIDPM
The Bayelsa State gubernatorial election has come and gone successfully and Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has been sworn in as Executive Governor. The greatest challenge before His Excellency is appointment of credible personalities into key political offices. The Principles and Techniques of appointing visionary leaders for State development that is discussed below will be of great benefit to this administration because leadership studies has revealed that blame for non-performance and failure or applause and praise for performance and success of a state government is attributed to the Executive governor and not the people appointed to do the work “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus Himself baptized not, but His disciples)” John 4:1,2. In other words, if the people appointed perform excellently the praise will go to the Governor. On the other hand, if they are incapable and fail to perform the blame will equally go to the Governor.
Before we talk on the techniques, it is very important that I remind the populace my own definition or explain the qualities of a visionary leader. Who is a visionary leader? A visionary leader is someone who identified the Socio-Economic Problems in a given society and proffers strategic solutions to them within a reasonable time for present and future generations. This means that he does not explain or describe problems. He does not rub the identified problems with Vaseline nor paint it with different colours for the citizens to see it more clearly rather, he uses his resourcefulness, creativity, hard work, diligence and all available resources which are Men, Material and Money (3Ms) to solve identified problems. In other words, a visionary leader uses what I call Root-tology “Approach and not applying “Branch-tology” or “Stem-tology or Fruit-tology Approach” in solving identified problems.
We find this type of visionary leadership quality in Bible days as exemplified by Joseph. He identified the in-coming famine upon the nation of Egypt and also proffered strategic solutions. In fact, those already appointed and others still wanting political appointments in this few months old Administration should know that these strategic offices are meant for people who can solve the identified Socio-Economic problems in Bayelsa State.
Therefore if you lack the ability to solve them, you do not need to seek for any political office because a nation, state or local government council cannot rise above the level of a leader leading at that particular point in time. More so you cannot give what you don’t have knowing fully that this is a critical moment in the history of Bayelsa State and of course the Ijaw nation in general considering the high level of strategic political moves and calculations in other parts of the country.
At this juncture, let us look at the techniques of appointing visionary leaders for the development of Bayelsa State.
1. PRINCIPLE OF APPOINTMENT BASED ON PERFORMANCE ON CURRENT ASSIGNMENT
This is applicable to current political office holders at local, state and federal levels who have indicated their intention to vie for the same or higher political office. We must allow the common man to carry out Simple Performance Auditing Exercise (SPAE) on the administration and activities of such a political office holder considering the identified Socio-economic problems in Bayelsa state. If the exercise conducted scores the officer between 75 and 100 percent he or she could be considered as a visionary leader. The truth is that a person lacks the moral right to be appointed again to do a job or higher assignment in which failure has been recorded in the course of discharging his current assignment.
The media (print/electronic) should invite such political office holders to tell the public their achievements while in office. They should verify such claims to ensure their authenticity or otherwise. They should also inform the public accordingly and appropriately, using the principle of giving Real Situation Report and not Money Influenced Report that is far from the real issues observed.
2. PRINCIPLE OF APPOINTMENT BASED ON PERFORMANCE ON PAST ASSIGNMENTS
This is applicable to those who have ruled this state before 1999 as well as those who have not been given political office currently, but had at one time or the other participated directly or indirectly in the affairs of government at decision making level; local, state or federal respectively. It is also applicable to those who have held strategic leadership positions in government parastatals, organisations, professional and religious affiliated associations. We must look at the performances in different assignments of such a political office aspirant considering some of the identified major problems that are applicable to their area of jurisdiction. Once again, we must state it clearly that an individual who had failed in previous assignments is most likely to fail if given a bigger or higher responsibility. Therefore, the same Simple Performance Auditing Exercise must be conducted on such a political office seeker. A leader whose past activities reveal that he is incapable, corrupt and a total disappointment to humanity will be a curse to Bayelsa again if given another political appointment.
3. PRINCIPLE OF APPOINTMENT BASED ON PROPER ANALAYSIS OF PARTY/INDIVIDUAL MANIFESTO/MISSION/VISION/POLICIES
In analyzing manifestoes/policies/vision, the following has to be considered. Analyzing them to see whether it is aimed at addressing the identified Socio-economic problems; the time frame to solve them as well as the methodologies to be adopted to execute such programmes.
Another vital point to note in analyzing manifestoes/policies/ visions and policies is the prudent comparison of the past activities of such a person with his stated manifesto and policies. If the previous activities either in his personal, business, appointments etc, contradicts what he or she claim, such a person is not a visionary leader. This is because you cannot wake up overnight and lay claim to have a vision for the country, state or local government. It is expected that before the time of seeking for any political appointment the person in question would have been using his talents, gifts, monies, privileges and position for the development of humanity and pursuance of his vision. His resources would have been used to affect the lives of people positively.
A visionary leader is someone who is pregnant with a burden and passion which results in giving himself to solving identified problems in the society. Therefore, whether he is seeking for political office or not, he should have been involved in strategic activities aimed at realizing his vision.
The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo has a vision to provide free education to all people with free text books. This was incorporated as one of the cardinal points in his party’s manifesto. Hence he was able to execute it in all the states that won election under UPN (Unity Party of Nigeria) even when he did not emerge as the Nation’s President. I am sure that if Pa Awo is alive today there wouldn’t have been private school system even amongst some religious leaders that is designed for only the rich while the common man’s children are suffering for lack of qualitative education.
Such a visionary leader’s past statements, publications and activities before indicating his interest to seek for political office should be consistent and in line with that vision. Hence he cannot be bought with position or money if that will mean a position mutation from his visions, goals and targets. For example, if your vision is to provide free and qualitative education, your past activities would have been tailored in that line. It means that your resources were being used in promoting education in your immediate environment. This principle is also applicable to other identified economic problems.
PRINCIPLE APPOINTMENT BASED ON SINCERE ATTESTATION/RECOGNITION AND ACCEPTANCE OF UNCOMMON GIFTS/TALENTS IN THE COURSE OF DISCHARGING DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES BY ANALYTICAL PEOPLE
The attestation, recognition and acceptance by analytical people to your uncommon gifts, talents or skills forms part of the criteria to be considered because you cannot hide in the mist of analytical people if you are actually a visionary leader.
The society tends to contact people of visionary leadership qualities when they are in a cross-road and do not know what to do. They contact them to address seeming difficult issues. Even supposed enemies contact them for help or seek for advice when they have come to the end of the road. Only visionary leaders know the way out. Joseph in the Bible stands out as a visionary leader in this regard. When it was crystal clear that a task cannot be done, he was contacted, consulted and released from prison without legal representation and was given the position of a Prime Minister in Egypt. The question is, why was he contacted? It was because Joseph had before this time used his uncommon talents to solve problems affecting the citizens of Egypt in his little corner (brightening the corner where he was) and they took cognizance of him. Some people are ignorant of this truth that God and the world are observing your activities. Sometimes such observations are unknown to you but it is certain you will be remembered if are consistent and don’t give up.
This is a clear state of attestation, recognition and acceptance of a visionary leader with display of uncommon talents to solve identified Socio-economic problems in Egypt at that time. Bayelsa state is in urgent need of visionary leaders who can read between the lines, dream, produce targets and work out the modalities to execute tasks and achieve results. The visionary leader is ideological and practical in getting things done. However, when the people get bored of abnormal situation, they are then pressured to seek and search for normal people to take over the affairs of governance. The normal leaders are the visionary leaders.
The challenge before His Excellency, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, Executive Governor of Bayelsa State and His Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah Rtd, is to appoint credible personalities into all political offices. Only and only then the much expected vision of restoration agenda and all-round development of Bayelsa State will be realized just like other performing State Governments.
In conclusion, I would like to say that if Bayelsa State is so strategic to Ijaws, Niger-Delta, Nigeria and the International community then we need visionary, talented and resourceful persons to move the state forward in all its ramifications. The principle of success is “IT IS IN YOUR HAND”. Therefore was a European who lived in centuries past. He claimed to be the most intelligent and wisest person during his life time. A young boy wanting to disprove his claims approached him with a critical question. He took a living butterfly, covered it with his two palms and asked the European: “Tell me whether the butterfly in my hand is dead or alive”. Unknown to the man, the boy had decided the following in his heart. If he says it is alive, he would Squeeze the butterfly to death and prove him wrong. On the other hand if he says it is dead, he would open his hands, allow the butterfly to fly away and still prove him wrong. A large crowd was there to witness this glorious event. The man thought for a while and said to the boy: “The answer is, IT IS IN YOUR HAND; WHETHER THE BUTTERFLY IS DEAD OR ALIVE, IT IS IN YOUR HAND”.
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