Nigerians-should-always-appraise-the-sanity-and-frame-of-mind-of-elected-appointed-public-office-holders-at-all-levels-of-government
September 7, 2020 | News
NIGERIANS SHOULD ALWAYS APPRAISE THE SANITY AND FRAME OF MIND OF ELECTED/APPOINTED PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
With the recent unnecessary outburst of anger by Femi Fani Kayode against a Journalist of the Daily Trust newspaper who simply asked him a question during a Press/Interview Conference, which has brought wide condemnation from different stakeholders in the polity, I believe one of the things that Nigerians should always look out for and examine in our supposed elected/appointed public office holders at all levels of Government, is their level of sanity, frame of mind and intelligence. This is very important because as political leaders, these people practically decide the fate, direction and economic experiences of the Nigerian people and the nation. As such, there is the need to consider how supposed elected/appointed public office holders ought to be in the appropriate right frame of mind, sanity, and intelligence. When I wrote on Fani Kayode’s stated drama yesterday on 26th August 2020, this was a comment from a friend: “I also think that there are some leaders who will never apologize no matter the level of coercion, if they were in his shoes. I think it is a plus for him to have apologized. I think he should be forgiven. To err is human.”
The subject matter were however my thoughts, when I saw a write-up online which narrated a similar situation of the Kayode vs Journalist episode, that happened between a journalist and Senator Rashid Adewolu Ladoja, who was referred to as a dullard by Wale Ojo – Lanre.
The Venue was: Board Room, Nigerian Tribune; The Mission: Ladoja Gubernatorial Campaign Media Interaction. And the Question was: Senator Ladoja, you look so dull, drab, unattractive unintelligent, and without colour, do you think a dullard like you can be a reasonable governor of Oyo state where sharper minds have tried unsuccessfully?
The whole hall went into mute session. The late Egbon Bola Alphonso who was one of his campaign coordinators unconsciously uttered: 'Haaa Ojo- Lanre’. For a minute, it was a graveyard eerie silence. Senator Ladoja looked up and smiled, and said: “Ojo - Lanre, thank you for your question. True, I am not a handsome man by my look, I don't labour much before a lady fall for me. You know my wives are cute. Check them out. And if you think I am dull and unintelligent, Ojo- Lanre, you are correct. But you will agree with me that, Olivet High, Oyo is one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria with a strict form of admission to their schools particularly when you want to join them at Class four, I was the first to be admitted to join at class four because I was so dull and unintelligent. And also, my being an unintelligent fellow helped me to pass all my subjects with As which forced the Federal Government to buffet me with a Federal Government Scholarship to Belgium to study Petroleum Engineering…
"Also, I have used my unattractiveness to run intercontinental maritime companies successfully since I went into private endeavors”....deafening applause for a wise man I quickly ran to the Computers department to supervise my pages. Ladoja who toured the Tribune met me at the Computer Section, shook my hand and looked at my face and said: “Ojo - Lanre, I like the way you forced me to blow my trumpet. I respect your style.” And since that day, we have been friends. The writer then went on to state that the following: Background, Exposure, Being brought up properly, Mental health, Native intelligence, Proper education, and Values orientation; all matter very much in the affairs of men. Senator Ladoja is a great man. You can only give what you have. Don't blame Femi Fani Kayode - Bibire ko se fowo ra.
There was another interview video that went viral some years ago, of Nelson Mandela of South-Africa when he visited America after he was released from prison. The venue was the Aaron Davis Hall City College of New York, and one of the American Journalists who tried to put Mandela on the spot and ridicule his stand on Human Rights, got the shock of his life with Mandela’s intelligent and inspiring response. The said American reported, Ken Adelman, started by saying how those of them who share the struggle for Human Rights against the Apartheid, have been somewhat disappointed by the models of Human Rights which Mandela had held up since was released from jail. These include Yasir Arafat, whom Mandela had praised and met three times in the last six months; Gadhafi whom Madela had shared his view and applauded him on Human Rights and his drive for freedom and peace around the world; and Fidel Castro, whom Mandela had also praised as a leader of Human Rights… And the Journalist then asked Mandela, “Are these your models of leaders of Human Rights? And if so, would you want a Gadhafi or an Arafat or a Castro to be the future President of South-Africa?”
Mandela responded by saying: “One of the mistakes, which some political analysts make, is to think that their enemies should be our enemies.” The audience went into frenzy with standing ovation and praises for that response. After a bit of calm, Mandela went on to say that: “That we can, and we will never do. We have our own struggle which we are conducting. We are grateful to the world for supporting our struggle. But nevertheless, we are an independent organization with its own policy. And the attitude of every country towards our attitude to any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.” Another round of standing ovation and praises from the audience ensured at that response. He then went on to say that: “Yasir Arafat, Col. Gadhafi, Fidel Castro, support our struggle to the hilt. There is no reason whatsoever, why we should have any hesitation about Hailie. Their commitment to Human Rights as they are being demanded in South-South Africa. Our attitude is based solely of the fact that they fully support the anti-apartheid struggle. They do not support it only in rhetoric, they are placing resources at our disposal for us to use to win the struggle. That is the position.”
This again clearly demonstrated the art and craft of rising well above a question with the intent to undermine one as a public office holder/leader. That can only happen when the sanity, emotional balance, appropriate frame of mind, level of intelligence, and personal principles of the public office holder in question, are squally intact. This is something we see lacking in most Nigerian politicians and public officeholders. Hence, we have seen them times without number, publicly embarrass and disgrace themselves, their State, the people they are meant to represent in the first place, and even the country; when presented with probing questions meant to bring out their credibility, reliability, and accountability as public officeholders.
Zik Gbemre.
August 28, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
With the recent unnecessary outburst of anger by Femi Fani Kayode against a Journalist of the Daily Trust newspaper who simply asked him a question during a Press/Interview Conference, which has brought wide condemnation from different stakeholders in the polity, I believe one of the things that Nigerians should always look out for and examine in our supposed elected/appointed public office holders at all levels of Government, is their level of sanity, frame of mind and intelligence. This is very important because as political leaders, these people practically decide the fate, direction and economic experiences of the Nigerian people and the nation. As such, there is the need to consider how supposed elected/appointed public office holders ought to be in the appropriate right frame of mind, sanity, and intelligence. When I wrote on Fani Kayode’s stated drama yesterday on 26th August 2020, this was a comment from a friend: “I also think that there are some leaders who will never apologize no matter the level of coercion, if they were in his shoes. I think it is a plus for him to have apologized. I think he should be forgiven. To err is human.”
The subject matter were however my thoughts, when I saw a write-up online which narrated a similar situation of the Kayode vs Journalist episode, that happened between a journalist and Senator Rashid Adewolu Ladoja, who was referred to as a dullard by Wale Ojo – Lanre.
The Venue was: Board Room, Nigerian Tribune; The Mission: Ladoja Gubernatorial Campaign Media Interaction. And the Question was: Senator Ladoja, you look so dull, drab, unattractive unintelligent, and without colour, do you think a dullard like you can be a reasonable governor of Oyo state where sharper minds have tried unsuccessfully?
The whole hall went into mute session. The late Egbon Bola Alphonso who was one of his campaign coordinators unconsciously uttered: 'Haaa Ojo- Lanre’. For a minute, it was a graveyard eerie silence. Senator Ladoja looked up and smiled, and said: “Ojo - Lanre, thank you for your question. True, I am not a handsome man by my look, I don't labour much before a lady fall for me. You know my wives are cute. Check them out. And if you think I am dull and unintelligent, Ojo- Lanre, you are correct. But you will agree with me that, Olivet High, Oyo is one of the best secondary schools in Nigeria with a strict form of admission to their schools particularly when you want to join them at Class four, I was the first to be admitted to join at class four because I was so dull and unintelligent. And also, my being an unintelligent fellow helped me to pass all my subjects with As which forced the Federal Government to buffet me with a Federal Government Scholarship to Belgium to study Petroleum Engineering…
"Also, I have used my unattractiveness to run intercontinental maritime companies successfully since I went into private endeavors”....deafening applause for a wise man I quickly ran to the Computers department to supervise my pages. Ladoja who toured the Tribune met me at the Computer Section, shook my hand and looked at my face and said: “Ojo - Lanre, I like the way you forced me to blow my trumpet. I respect your style.” And since that day, we have been friends. The writer then went on to state that the following: Background, Exposure, Being brought up properly, Mental health, Native intelligence, Proper education, and Values orientation; all matter very much in the affairs of men. Senator Ladoja is a great man. You can only give what you have. Don't blame Femi Fani Kayode - Bibire ko se fowo ra.
There was another interview video that went viral some years ago, of Nelson Mandela of South-Africa when he visited America after he was released from prison. The venue was the Aaron Davis Hall City College of New York, and one of the American Journalists who tried to put Mandela on the spot and ridicule his stand on Human Rights, got the shock of his life with Mandela’s intelligent and inspiring response. The said American reported, Ken Adelman, started by saying how those of them who share the struggle for Human Rights against the Apartheid, have been somewhat disappointed by the models of Human Rights which Mandela had held up since was released from jail. These include Yasir Arafat, whom Mandela had praised and met three times in the last six months; Gadhafi whom Madela had shared his view and applauded him on Human Rights and his drive for freedom and peace around the world; and Fidel Castro, whom Mandela had also praised as a leader of Human Rights… And the Journalist then asked Mandela, “Are these your models of leaders of Human Rights? And if so, would you want a Gadhafi or an Arafat or a Castro to be the future President of South-Africa?”
Mandela responded by saying: “One of the mistakes, which some political analysts make, is to think that their enemies should be our enemies.” The audience went into frenzy with standing ovation and praises for that response. After a bit of calm, Mandela went on to say that: “That we can, and we will never do. We have our own struggle which we are conducting. We are grateful to the world for supporting our struggle. But nevertheless, we are an independent organization with its own policy. And the attitude of every country towards our attitude to any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.” Another round of standing ovation and praises from the audience ensured at that response. He then went on to say that: “Yasir Arafat, Col. Gadhafi, Fidel Castro, support our struggle to the hilt. There is no reason whatsoever, why we should have any hesitation about Hailie. Their commitment to Human Rights as they are being demanded in South-South Africa. Our attitude is based solely of the fact that they fully support the anti-apartheid struggle. They do not support it only in rhetoric, they are placing resources at our disposal for us to use to win the struggle. That is the position.”
This again clearly demonstrated the art and craft of rising well above a question with the intent to undermine one as a public office holder/leader. That can only happen when the sanity, emotional balance, appropriate frame of mind, level of intelligence, and personal principles of the public office holder in question, are squally intact. This is something we see lacking in most Nigerian politicians and public officeholders. Hence, we have seen them times without number, publicly embarrass and disgrace themselves, their State, the people they are meant to represent in the first place, and even the country; when presented with probing questions meant to bring out their credibility, reliability, and accountability as public officeholders.
Zik Gbemre.
August 28, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes