Today, it is a fact that the problem with Kogi state is leadership. The leader Kogi state deserves is now a thing of debate among Kogites. The leadership Kogi state urgently needs and deserves is a leader that is self made and free from the syndrome of godfatherism. The culture of political godfatherism, which pervades the political landscape of Kogi state, has for long hindered the development of the state.
This syndrome has caused the fall of so many good candidates who would have been great leaders in their own right in many areas of Kogi’s socio-economic and political spheres.
The idea that an aspiring leader’s popularity, acceptability and public goodwill can never take him to victory unless he is anointed and backed by a politically influential godfather with vested interest is a fatal blow that has caused the downfall of many leaders in Kogi state. As the debate rages on the type of leadership we as Kogites need for the growth and development of our dear state, it is clear to all who love Kogi state that Alhaji Mika’il Isah is the answer.
As a chartered accountant with Dangote & Sawoe Construction Company, we believe he has outgrown this malady that has led to the underdevelopment of our dear state. As a professional he has the qualities that will make him facilitate the development of our state and its resources. His greatest asset is that he is a self made man and leader who has grown through the ladder of life to be who he is today.
With this man and leader Kogi state will eliminate undesirable consequences of godfatherism that has eroded its growth and development. He has always stated that godfatherism is the greatest problem in Kogi and it is borne out of an incurable penchant for all time relevance in running the affairs of the state.
The menace has denied the people of us, the people of Kogi state, the right to elect candidates of our choice. As a self made man and development agent, Isah has the resources and the will power not to subscribe to the whims and caprices of any power bloc in the state in flagrant violation of the interest of the people of the state who he has always stated are the masters of any leader. He has also stated on many occasions that a leader who perpetually remains subservient to his bosses, the people, can catapult the state to the highest realm of development. He has vowed never to surrender the dividend of democratic rule to be decimated by some glutinous few; this he has promised shall be the gain of this new type of leadership. We believe that Isah is equipped to fight the symmetric and asymmetric warfare of the Kogi people. The leaders that Kogi state has previously produced have wasted the state’s resources fighting for themselves and the elite.
This new type of leadership which Isah represents shall be on top of all situations in the state. It is a general believe among all Kogites, irrespective of political party affiliations, that things seem diffi cult and out of place and the state needs an innovative leader at this time. Today, the development trend in the country does not encourage dependency on allocations from the federation accounts for survival.
Thus, the innovative capacity of a leader is critical. Isah is a technocrat par excellence with innovative tendencies that could be brought to bear in the development processes of Kogi state. Japan and South Korea do not have oil but are ranked among the developed countries of the world because of their leadership ability and proclivity for good thinking and this has led to so many good products and policies for their development. Isah has the brain and this brain shall lead us to the development of good public institutions that is strong enough to develop Kogi state. Isah, I assure all the people of Kogi state, will institutionalize development. He is a leader that will create policies and translate these policies to the developmental needs of the state. As a chartered accountant, Isah is equipped to be accountable to the peoplehis bosses. He has never been involved in any failed enterprises because of his transparent personality and he is a man that has never been involved in any fraudulent business transactions anywhere in the world. He made his name and wealth transparently and shall govern Kogi state transparently.
This, we assure you all Kogites, you can always take to the bank. Isah shall give Kogites the dream type of leadership it has always hoped for. He recognized that the people of this state have a dream and the real constraint to the achievement of that dream is leadership and vision. The symbiotic relationship between the people’s dream and leadership vision of this young man, we believe, shall alter all factors besetting the development at its physical point to the people’s advantage.
The confidence we have in Isah is heightened by his managerial acumen because truly, he is an astute manager of men and resources. We, therefore, call on all and sundry in Kogi state to join forces and voices in calling on Isah to come and contest for the governorship of Kogi state in the next election. This promise and vision we can all then take to the bank. Comrade Musa writes from Lokoja, Kogi state
Ensuring impactful leadership in the civil service
By Akintola Benson-Oke Management experts have developed a set of introspective questions that can help in assessing an individual’s standing vis-à-vis acceptable team work, leadership and work place effectiveness qualities. I believe that all of you will be well-served by considering them. I therefore invite you all to think about these. Assessing yourself on a scale of 1 to 10, please attempt to answer the following questions: Are you able to maximise efficiency in your use of time and resources? Are you able and willing to initiate action? Do you instill motivation?
Do you provide guidance? Do you instill confidence? Do your words and actions build morale? Do you seek to create and maintain an efficient work environment? It is my hope that the questions above helped in nudging you in a direction that would take your career in the Lagos State Civil Service to the highest levels. This is because, if you make a decision to follow the suggestions embedded in them, it will stoke a desire to either aspire to leadership or to improve your leadership skills. As is well known, the government of Lagos State led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode fully recognizes the enormous value that knowledge and soft skills training bring to bear on the attainment of the strategic objectives of the government and the public service of Lagos State. Also, the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions has always been in the vanguard of advocating for the institutionalisation of essential training programmes that benefit the most strategically-placed officers in the public service.
Thus, I am delighted that we are witnessing yet another occasion to demonstrate this noble commitment of the Lagos State government. The need for ensuring and assuring the efficiency and effectiveness of public institutions has never been greater than now. In a dynamic age of constant changes, it is widely agreed that institutions must have clearly-defined missions that are relevant to the needs and aspirations of its stakeholders. Following this, the human capital at the helm of leadership in these institutions must have the courage to envision a future that realizes the attainment of the defined mission of the institutions. In order to actualize the vision, however, leaders must be trained to possess both the hard and soft skills that are fundamental for success.
The Anglia Ruskin University clearly articulates the benefits of strong leadership skills as follows: “In order to make the most of your proficiency in the workplace, it is important to develop your leadership skills. Whilst talent and a good work ethic will take you to a certain level, learning how to lead will get you to the top of the tree. If you can demonstrate that you know how to lead, you will often be rewarded with a position that carries more responsibility, the ability to delegate and, of course, a good salary.
Those who can lead know how to make important decisions that aff ect both themselves and people across the business, without deferring to anyone else. This is an absolute necessity for getting ahead within business – as long as you can prove the decisions you made were the right ones…” That observation is profoundly true as it relates to the benefits of leadership skills for the leader. I also wish to briefly comment on how the possession of the right skills will positively impact on the effectiveness of institutions. One of the foremost business strategy thinkers in modern times, is credited as profoundly observing that “leadership is the most influential and critical element of all businesses. Effective leaders have the necessary tools and skills to inspire and impact their teams allowing firms to run competently and smoothly.
As a good leader, you should understand the mission statements, objectives, action plans and goals of the organisation to be able to lead your workforce into realizing them.” I fully agree. Only strong and trained leaders can envision the right and appropriate future for organisations. Where leaders do not possess the attitude, aptitude and skills that are relevant for the times, they become fundamentally flawed in any attempt to craft a beneficial and compelling vision for their organizations.
And, as we all know, in the absence of vision, the people perish as the institutions become rudderless and their journey becomes one without a map. Trained leaders also know how to manage their own and other people’s time effectively. Being able to do so is critical when it comes to making the most of the leader’s time in the office and not becoming overwhelmed.
Furthermore, it also ensures that the trained leader’s team completes everything it is supposed to do. Furthermore, benefits that leadership skills can bring include the ability to resolve conflict, the ability to negotiate effectively for the benefit of the organisation, the aptitude to innovate and the skill to communicate quickly and effectively. The Lagos State Civil Service has always been in the forefront of innovation and dynamic effectiveness in the nation and I can assure you that Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, is dedicated to the maintenance of this noble position in the country. Dr. Oke writes from Lagos
