Evidence of leadership
“A leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it”. Harry S. Truman (1884 – 1972)
“A leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it”. Harry S. Truman (1884 - 1972)
A one time U.S. president
Good leadership is recognized not by official position or the use of force. Genuine leaders are known by their utterances, their actions and their conducts. Such are leaders who never say YES when they mean to say NO. They never make promise and renege on it. And they never betray those who trust them.
Those were the qualities which the Almighty Allah admired so much in Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when He said: “There is surely an excellent example for you (Muslims) to emulate in Prophet Muhammad for those of you who believe in Allah and the hereafter and also remember Allah at all times”.
Philosophers who assert that every new century has a way of producing a great leader may be right afterall. The example of His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto is a manifest attestation to that assertion. Ever since he assumed the exalted royal office about twenty years ago, this great man has convincingly demonstrated all the qualities of genuine leadership. Every statement he has made socially, religiously and politically and every action he has taken officially or personally has proved to be a school from which all well-meaning people have learned one thing or the other.
When he was invited as a Special Guest of Honour to a religious seminar organized by the Chritian Association of Niger ia (CAN) with the theme: ‘Knowing Your Muslim Neighbour’, Sultan Abubakar delivered an historic speech that reverberated meaningfully throughout the world. And just two weeks ago after then, he also invited the leadership of CAN to a special conference of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). The theme of that conference was: ‘Islam in the Eyes of the Christians’. He is the first Sultan ever to engage in such an interfaith affair and his speech on that occasion was also electrifying. Please read that speech as presented below:
“I would like to begin in the sublime name of our merciful Lord and Creator, Allah [SWT], the Grantor of all earthly bounties and divine favours, who has gathered us here today to witness this august occasion. We are highly gratified and greatly honoured to welcome His Excellency Alhaji Mohammad Namadi Sambo, GCON, then Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , who despite the pressing exigencies of a new office was able to be with us. Your Excellency, please accept our hearty congratulations for your elevation to this exalted office.
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Your presence at this meeting is a strong affirmation of your abiding commitment to the progress of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs [NSCIA], to the development of Nigeria and to the cause of peace-building, religious harmony and mutual co-existence in our great country. It is also pertinent to extend a special welcome to His Excellency Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State . As Deputy Governor through two administrations, Your Excellency has been one of the principal architects of the new Kaduna State, imbued with a bold vision of peace and prosperity and committed to a new and all-inclusive society where all Nigerians, regardless of creed or ethnic origin, can genuinely call home. It is our ardent hope and fervent prayer that your tenure as the Executive Governor of Kaduna State will make this vision all the more bolder and will make Kaduna a truly model state.
Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highnesses, you may recall that over one and a half years ago, we initiated, as we had done for the JNI, a thorough review of the activities of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs [NSCIA] and an extensive reform of its structures. It is our firm belief that these reforms are not only desirable but necessary, to reposition the Council to play its strategic role as the apex Islamic body in the country and to respond, effectively and meaningfully, to the challenges facing the Muslim Ummah in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society. We have had extensive consultations over the last one year and have received very useful inputs on the reform agenda from all the constituent bodies of the Council. Our strategic objectives in this exercise had been and shall remain.
Firstly, the promotion of Muslim Unity and Solidarity, to accord the Ummah the ability to speak with one voice and to act and work together for the advancement of Islam
Secondly, the development of Education and Economic Enterprise , to enable the Muslim Ummah play an active role in the socio-economic life of Nigeria .
Thirdly, the promotion of peace and religious harmony both within Muslim Communities and between the adherents of Islam and Christianity
Fourthly, the establishment of effective linkage with Government, at local, state and federal levels, to safeguard the interest of the Ummah and to build concensus on those vital issues that bind us as a nation.
It is therefore our hope that as we bring this reform process to its logical conclusion, we will receive the support and patronage of the entire Muslim Ummah as well as the co-operation of all our stakeholders including State Governments and indeed the Government of the Federation.
Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highnesses, our Distinguished Guests, it may be pertinent to point out that the last few months have been a trying period for our nation which culminated in the passing away of our dear president, His Excellency Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua. May Allah [SWT] accept his gentle soul and reward him with al-Jannat ul-firdausi for his sense of probity and selflessness and for the great service he rendered to this nation. May Allah [SWT] also continue to shower His infinite mercy and blessings on this nation of ours and guide us all in doing what is right and honourable. The task of overcoming Nigeria ’s problems calls for sacrifice, dialogue and understanding; and all national stakeholders must overcome the myopia of greed and self-centredness to move this great nation forward and safeguard its strategic interests.
Our Distinguished Guests, we must begin to look into the future with hope and confidence and to ensure, first and foremost, that we shore up the foundations of our political system. The National Assembly, and indeed all tiers of Government, should not relent in their current efforts at Electoral Reform and in ensuring that Nigerians have a genuine electoral process that guarantees free and fair elections. Unless and until we do that our nation will continue to be haunted by the unholy alliance between fraudulent elections and illegitimate electoral outcomes, the consequences of which we all know too well. We must break away from this vicious circle and confer on Nigerians the power and indeed the ability to decide, freely and willingly, who leads them at all levels of governance.
Secondly, there is also the urgent need for us to re-evaluate our conception of leadership as a nation. When a person is appointed to a position of authority, his family and friends, including long lost ones, come together to celebrate the great fortune which had smiled on their brother and the numerous opportunities at his disposal and at the disposal of family and friends, to acquire riches. When we focus almost entirely on the opportunities which leadership offers, we tend to lose sight of the enormous responsibilities it confers. We must, at our sober moments, take courage to remind our leaders about these responsibilities; their onerous nature; how Allah [SWT] has conferred on you the responsibility of serving as a shepherd over the people; and indeed how, on the Day of Judgment, the Almighty will ask you to render a full account of how you discharged this responsibility.
Distinguished Guests, we must also, at our sober moments, take courage to remind our leaders about the severity of Allah’s torment on those who violate this trust and the great reward which awaits those who fulfill it. We must also not fail to remind our leaders that our security and that of our families does not lie in how much wealth we have been able to accumulate but the effort we have expended to make a meaningful and sustainable improvement on the life of our people and the cumulative effect of this improvement on the prosperity and development of our respective States and Societies. Needless to add, there is no way we can make genuine progress as a nation when a significant number of our populace wallow in abject poverty unable to secure the requisite means for their sustenance and to cater to the health and educational needs of their families. Democracy must build a humane society capable of looking after the legitimate needs of its citizenry. For it to be truly successful, it must be able to bring real progress for all sectors of our diverse society.
Thirdly, we must all work hard to limit the influence of wealth in our society and to support those values that promote social responsibility, excellence and hard work. Presently, the challenge before us all is real and serious: How can one genuinely get elected in the current democratic dispensation without an overriding need to accumulate wealth? How can personality, character and record of performance become tangible assets in the public arena to translate into real electoral victory for those who possess them? How could we extol the virtues of those who promote the public interest and ensure that they receive the honour they deserve both during their life-time and after their demise? How can our religious and traditional institutions re-prioritize these societal values and ensure their institutionalization?
Your Excellencies, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, we cannot conclude these remarks without raising the issue of Muslim-Christian relations and the quest for peace and religious harmony in Nigeria. Despite the problems in Plateau State, we must state that genuine progress has been made in this arena. Kaduna State has, for long, remained a beacon of hope for all of us. It must remain so and we call upon all religious groups to join hands with the State Government to ensure the sustenance of peace, stability and development in this great State. We have been deeply touched by the statements of the Kaduna State Executive Governor during his inauguration. We are confident that he will translate them into real action for all to see and behold. The activities of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council [NIREC] also give us much cause for hope in a bright future for Inter-religious relations in Nigeria. In addition to the Council’s numerous activities, I was opportuned, last April, to address a Seminar organized by the National Executive Committee of the Christian Association of Nigeria, under the theme, Knowing Your Muslim Neighbour. As far as we know, this activity was the first of its kind in Nigeria and marks a very important milestone in Christian/Muslim understanding. Today we are reciprocating that unique and important event by also listening to our Christian brothers on how they see Islam and Muslims. I believe more of such events will be held in the near future.
Finally, I wish to end these remarks with a call on our politicians and those vying for Political Office: We must endeavour to insulate traditional rulers from partisan politics. As Community leaders, our people who belong to different political persuasions look up to us to safeguard the strategic interests of our society and to serve as guardians of its culture and value system. We must not be distracted from performing these vital societal roles. We advise politicians who aspire to national leadership to conduct their campaigns with honour and decorum. We must not trample on the cherished values upon which the socio-cultural and religious edifice of our society has been built.
