NIGERIA AND INDEED AFRICA NEED THE LIKES OF JOSE MUJICA - THE WORLD’S POOREST PRESIDENT – TO REMIND US THAT THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SERVE AND NOT TO BE SERVED
July 7, 2021 | News
Nigeria, to me, is the only country where the cost of governance and the amount of funds daily expended as recurrent expenditure in maintaining the gluttonous and greedy Executive and Legislative arms of Government in Nigeria, is totally unacceptable.
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA AND INDEED AFRICA NEED THE LIKES OF JOSE MUJICA - THE WORLD’S POOREST PRESIDENT – TO REMIND US THAT THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SERVE AND NOT TO BE SERVED
The majority of Nigerian politicians who are in Government, or within Government Institutions, do not understand what it means to LEAD as a Public Servant…
The cost of governance in Nigeria and Most African countries, in maintaining the gluttonous and greedy Executive and Legislative arms of Government, is the major reason for our underdevelopment…
If Uruguay could become popular in the world because of its 40th President regarded as the Poorest in the World, then it is very possible for Nigerian/African Politicians to drastically reduce their culture of wastefulness of public funds…
Until we make government ‘unattractive’ – as a place where people are meant to SERVE OTHERS, and also publicly disgrace and shame corrupt public office holders, we seriously fear the worse for this nation and the African continent…
Nigeria, to me, is the only country where the cost of governance and the amount of funds daily expended as recurrent expenditure in maintaining the gluttonous and greedy Executive and Legislative arms of Government in Nigeria, is totally unacceptable. In fact, it is the most expensive in any part of the world, and has become the channel through which public funds that would have been invested in providing needed infrastructure and improving the standard of living of the masses, are wasted yearly. This is the bane of Nigeria’s development. The situation is getting worse by the day that many have resorted to praying that the cost of running Nigeria’s-kind-of-democracy does not kill the country.
It is no news that the majority of Nigerian politicians who are in Government, or within Government Institutions, do not understand what it means to LEAD as a Public officer. They have become Public Masters and Emperors, while the citizenry they are meant to SERVE, have been turned into Slaves of some sort. While most of them are there for the wrong selfish reasons, others were scripted or dragged-in to occupy sensitive political leadership positions THEY WERE NEVER ‘PREPARED’ TO HANDLE, or even understand fully, how to carry out the responsibilities thrust on their shoulders. At the end of the day, what we have in our hands over the years, are politicians and public office holders who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to lead a people and the challenges that come with it, and manage the enormous collective resources/wealth under their offices for the benefit of all, and eventually leave great legacies behind for generations to come.
I am greatly moved when I recently saw a video online about The World’s Poorest President, whose life is one that I believe should remind our current crop of leaders that it is very possible for them to drastically reduce the amount of wastefulness of public funds under their care, and then leave lasting legacies that would outlive them. Here is a man who was said to have robbed a bank as a young man, spent 14 years in Prison, and was one of the country’s most wanted activists! Yet, he was elected President, and now labelled as the world’s poorest President.
This is a man who refused to stay in a presidential palace. But chose to live in a one-bedroom farm house owned by his wife. He never had a Presidential car. He only possessed a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle that he himself used to drive. He only had two people as his guards. And he used to drive a tractor to relax. His country’s name literally means “river of painted birds,” and it hosted the first ever world cup, and it has the longest national anthem in the world. The country of the world’s poorest president is Uruguay - a country that found it difficult to get noticed globally until its 40TH PRESIDENT CAME TO POWER, WHO IS JOSE MUJICA.
He ruled Uruguay over six years ago. But even today, he is still one of the world’s most popular leaders. Before becoming president, he suffered for years. He joined a rebel group that fought against a repressive military dictatorship. He was hit by six bullets in a shootout. He was tortured in jail because he wanted to change the system. But despite all of this, he was always concerned about his people. In his word; “We have to produce food for the hungry, roofs for those who need a home, build schools for those who don’t have schools. We need to solve the water problem.”
While most leaders want to rule their countries over and over again, like we see in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, Jose Mujica never wished to be re-elected! According to him: “A PRESIDENT IS A HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIAL WHO IS ELECTED TO CARRY OUT A FUNCTION. HE IS NOT A KING, NOT A GOD. HE IS A PUBLIC SERVANT. AS SUCH, HE MUST LEAVE AND BE REPLACED. I AM AGAINST RE-ELECTION.” HE DONATED 90% OF HIS SALARY TO CHARITIES. This is something our political leaders, even in their fat outrageous salaries, will never be able to do.
According to Jose Mujica: “I have a way of life that I don’t change, just because I am President, I earn more than I need, even if it’s not enough for others.” And to top it all off, when he stepped down from being President, he still SERVED Uruguay as a Senator. But here in Nigeria, most persons who ruled as President would see being a legislature as something that is beneath them. What we have here are for State Governors going to become Senators to continue earning fat from the public space.
For Jose Mujica, he actually turned down his pension. And this is why he is still loved by his people, because when the President is down to earth, it means that they actually understand the nation that they serve. According to a Uruguay citizen: “We will remember Mujica as the President - the poor President of Uruguay. The honest and authentic President of Uruguay. He helped people to become confident on politics and Government. And I think the world needs more politicians like that.” In a world where many politicians put themselves first before their people, Jose Mujica is a good reminder that THE ESSENCE OF A TRUE LEADER IS TO SERVE, AND NOT TO BE SERVED.
In the words of Liborous Oshoma while talking on a similar subject issue: “Unfortunately, the entitlements they (Nigerian Political leaders) enjoy are far more than what political office holders in developed and rich countries enjoy. More of why we will continue remaining a ‘developing country.’ You cannot close your eyes to this ugly trend and pretend to fight corruption. It is impossible. We all must realize that we are the ones in the Opposition here, and not the political office holders in either the APC or the PDP. And we cannot build a strong and viral country where public institutions work by ‘emptying the States’ Treasuries to take care of a few who govern the State for a maximum of Eight years. While those that ‘Serve’ the State during their youthful years, to up to 35 years of service, are dying by installments for lack of pensions. My advocacy today would be, if we remove the houses in Lagos and Abuja, the 300% and 100% annual basic salaries allowance for furniture, house maintenance, etc., cut down the number of cars to two at 5 years, and reduce the number of policemen to just two; we would have saved enough to fund, or fix some of the dilapidated roads and abandoned public hospitals.”
Despite all the privileges that they enjoy, one would have expected these Nigerian Politicians to be satisfied and content. But not so, as they are known to steal/misappropriate/mismanage public funds meant for the development of their various State and people. While most of them have been able to hide their atrocities against their various States and the nation from the eyes of the law, others have not been that lucky. As at today, there are six former Governors that have been jailed in Nigeria for corrupt practices committed against the Nigerian masses. However, what is more disheartening is the fact that these corrupt public office holders are still worshiped and supported by people. While they are regarded by some as their heroes in, and out of Government. That is why even the most corrupt politician in Nigeria (including ex-convicts) would still have the confidence to make public appearances and even contest for public offices or hold political positions and command influence in their party.
The only Nigerian politician that I can look back now and say he did well in reducing the waste we often see within Nigerian Governments, is the exemplary dispensation and leadership ‘discipline’ of former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi. We have seen Obi in several videos online sharing examples of how he managed to overcome “the culture of waste” through his “personal prudence” as the then governor of Anambra State. That tells us that these things are very possible, if only the majority of Nigerian politicians would deaden their insatiable greed, humble themselves and actually be in Government to SERVE and not to be served or satisfy their selfish desires.
It is because of the ‘attractiveness of government’, that Nigerian politicians are ready to do the unthinkable just to remain in power and within the government space. We have, as a nation and continent, made ‘Government work’ the most lucrative and attractive business in the whole world. And that is the only reason why our general elections are often ridden with electoral malpractices and criminality of high proportions. That mindset of, “once I can get into Government, I have made it for life”, has left us always having political leaders who are never really in Government to Serve, but to satisfy their self-driven agendas and interests. This is not the same in developed and rich countries like the US and UK. UNTIL WE MAKE GOVERNMENT ‘UNATTRACTIVE’ – AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE MEANT TO SERVE OTHERS, AND ALSO PUBLICLY DISGRACE AND SHAME CORRUPT PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS AND PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE, WE SERIOUSLY FEAR THE WORSE FOR THIS NATION’S CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE.
Zik Gbemre.
July 7, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
NIGERIA AND INDEED AFRICA NEED THE LIKES OF JOSE MUJICA - THE WORLD’S POOREST PRESIDENT – TO REMIND US THAT THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SERVE AND NOT TO BE SERVED
The majority of Nigerian politicians who are in Government, or within Government Institutions, do not understand what it means to LEAD as a Public Servant…
The cost of governance in Nigeria and Most African countries, in maintaining the gluttonous and greedy Executive and Legislative arms of Government, is the major reason for our underdevelopment…
If Uruguay could become popular in the world because of its 40th President regarded as the Poorest in the World, then it is very possible for Nigerian/African Politicians to drastically reduce their culture of wastefulness of public funds…
Until we make government ‘unattractive’ – as a place where people are meant to SERVE OTHERS, and also publicly disgrace and shame corrupt public office holders, we seriously fear the worse for this nation and the African continent…
Nigeria, to me, is the only country where the cost of governance and the amount of funds daily expended as recurrent expenditure in maintaining the gluttonous and greedy Executive and Legislative arms of Government in Nigeria, is totally unacceptable. In fact, it is the most expensive in any part of the world, and has become the channel through which public funds that would have been invested in providing needed infrastructure and improving the standard of living of the masses, are wasted yearly. This is the bane of Nigeria’s development. The situation is getting worse by the day that many have resorted to praying that the cost of running Nigeria’s-kind-of-democracy does not kill the country.
It is no news that the majority of Nigerian politicians who are in Government, or within Government Institutions, do not understand what it means to LEAD as a Public officer. They have become Public Masters and Emperors, while the citizenry they are meant to SERVE, have been turned into Slaves of some sort. While most of them are there for the wrong selfish reasons, others were scripted or dragged-in to occupy sensitive political leadership positions THEY WERE NEVER ‘PREPARED’ TO HANDLE, or even understand fully, how to carry out the responsibilities thrust on their shoulders. At the end of the day, what we have in our hands over the years, are politicians and public office holders who have no iota of idea of what it truly means to lead a people and the challenges that come with it, and manage the enormous collective resources/wealth under their offices for the benefit of all, and eventually leave great legacies behind for generations to come.
I am greatly moved when I recently saw a video online about The World’s Poorest President, whose life is one that I believe should remind our current crop of leaders that it is very possible for them to drastically reduce the amount of wastefulness of public funds under their care, and then leave lasting legacies that would outlive them. Here is a man who was said to have robbed a bank as a young man, spent 14 years in Prison, and was one of the country’s most wanted activists! Yet, he was elected President, and now labelled as the world’s poorest President.
This is a man who refused to stay in a presidential palace. But chose to live in a one-bedroom farm house owned by his wife. He never had a Presidential car. He only possessed a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle that he himself used to drive. He only had two people as his guards. And he used to drive a tractor to relax. His country’s name literally means “river of painted birds,” and it hosted the first ever world cup, and it has the longest national anthem in the world. The country of the world’s poorest president is Uruguay - a country that found it difficult to get noticed globally until its 40TH PRESIDENT CAME TO POWER, WHO IS JOSE MUJICA.
He ruled Uruguay over six years ago. But even today, he is still one of the world’s most popular leaders. Before becoming president, he suffered for years. He joined a rebel group that fought against a repressive military dictatorship. He was hit by six bullets in a shootout. He was tortured in jail because he wanted to change the system. But despite all of this, he was always concerned about his people. In his word; “We have to produce food for the hungry, roofs for those who need a home, build schools for those who don’t have schools. We need to solve the water problem.”
While most leaders want to rule their countries over and over again, like we see in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, Jose Mujica never wished to be re-elected! According to him: “A PRESIDENT IS A HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIAL WHO IS ELECTED TO CARRY OUT A FUNCTION. HE IS NOT A KING, NOT A GOD. HE IS A PUBLIC SERVANT. AS SUCH, HE MUST LEAVE AND BE REPLACED. I AM AGAINST RE-ELECTION.” HE DONATED 90% OF HIS SALARY TO CHARITIES. This is something our political leaders, even in their fat outrageous salaries, will never be able to do.
According to Jose Mujica: “I have a way of life that I don’t change, just because I am President, I earn more than I need, even if it’s not enough for others.” And to top it all off, when he stepped down from being President, he still SERVED Uruguay as a Senator. But here in Nigeria, most persons who ruled as President would see being a legislature as something that is beneath them. What we have here are for State Governors going to become Senators to continue earning fat from the public space.
For Jose Mujica, he actually turned down his pension. And this is why he is still loved by his people, because when the President is down to earth, it means that they actually understand the nation that they serve. According to a Uruguay citizen: “We will remember Mujica as the President - the poor President of Uruguay. The honest and authentic President of Uruguay. He helped people to become confident on politics and Government. And I think the world needs more politicians like that.” In a world where many politicians put themselves first before their people, Jose Mujica is a good reminder that THE ESSENCE OF A TRUE LEADER IS TO SERVE, AND NOT TO BE SERVED.
In the words of Liborous Oshoma while talking on a similar subject issue: “Unfortunately, the entitlements they (Nigerian Political leaders) enjoy are far more than what political office holders in developed and rich countries enjoy. More of why we will continue remaining a ‘developing country.’ You cannot close your eyes to this ugly trend and pretend to fight corruption. It is impossible. We all must realize that we are the ones in the Opposition here, and not the political office holders in either the APC or the PDP. And we cannot build a strong and viral country where public institutions work by ‘emptying the States’ Treasuries to take care of a few who govern the State for a maximum of Eight years. While those that ‘Serve’ the State during their youthful years, to up to 35 years of service, are dying by installments for lack of pensions. My advocacy today would be, if we remove the houses in Lagos and Abuja, the 300% and 100% annual basic salaries allowance for furniture, house maintenance, etc., cut down the number of cars to two at 5 years, and reduce the number of policemen to just two; we would have saved enough to fund, or fix some of the dilapidated roads and abandoned public hospitals.”
Despite all the privileges that they enjoy, one would have expected these Nigerian Politicians to be satisfied and content. But not so, as they are known to steal/misappropriate/mismanage public funds meant for the development of their various State and people. While most of them have been able to hide their atrocities against their various States and the nation from the eyes of the law, others have not been that lucky. As at today, there are six former Governors that have been jailed in Nigeria for corrupt practices committed against the Nigerian masses. However, what is more disheartening is the fact that these corrupt public office holders are still worshiped and supported by people. While they are regarded by some as their heroes in, and out of Government. That is why even the most corrupt politician in Nigeria (including ex-convicts) would still have the confidence to make public appearances and even contest for public offices or hold political positions and command influence in their party.
The only Nigerian politician that I can look back now and say he did well in reducing the waste we often see within Nigerian Governments, is the exemplary dispensation and leadership ‘discipline’ of former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi. We have seen Obi in several videos online sharing examples of how he managed to overcome “the culture of waste” through his “personal prudence” as the then governor of Anambra State. That tells us that these things are very possible, if only the majority of Nigerian politicians would deaden their insatiable greed, humble themselves and actually be in Government to SERVE and not to be served or satisfy their selfish desires.
It is because of the ‘attractiveness of government’, that Nigerian politicians are ready to do the unthinkable just to remain in power and within the government space. We have, as a nation and continent, made ‘Government work’ the most lucrative and attractive business in the whole world. And that is the only reason why our general elections are often ridden with electoral malpractices and criminality of high proportions. That mindset of, “once I can get into Government, I have made it for life”, has left us always having political leaders who are never really in Government to Serve, but to satisfy their self-driven agendas and interests. This is not the same in developed and rich countries like the US and UK. UNTIL WE MAKE GOVERNMENT ‘UNATTRACTIVE’ – AS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE MEANT TO SERVE OTHERS, AND ALSO PUBLICLY DISGRACE AND SHAME CORRUPT PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS AND PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE, WE SERIOUSLY FEAR THE WORSE FOR THIS NATION’S CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE.
Zik Gbemre.
July 7, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes