As we approached another year’s celebrating July 18, dedicated by the United Nation to commemorate the legacy of the great Africa, with a theme, “Climate, Food and Solidarity,” I could not help but to repeat an article I wrote several years ago, which was just like yesterday because we cannot go on for too long celebrating without finding another Madiba. The purpose of this article with the above title is to enable us look at ourselves once more and begin to ask some very difficult questions because the continent of Africa will remain in darkness without finding leaders that can truly lead. Therefore, once again, I present you with the article.
I laid half-awake in bed at three o’clock in the morning. Darkness enveloped my room at the Nelson Mandela Gardens, Asaba, Delta State; rubbing my eyes, I drowsily walked over to the window and peeked through, it was still dark outside, except for the lights that lit up the streets, and the airport was quiet in the hours before dawn. It was late June 2018, just a few weeks before the centenary anniversary of Nelson Mandela. As his name flashed through my mind, I found myself now fully awake, consumed by these word at once exhilarating and daunting:
“A new world will be won not by those who stand at a distance with their arms folded, but by those who are in the arena, whose garments are torn by storms and whose bodies are maimed in the course of the contest.” (Nelson Mandela, in a letter to Winnie Mandela, written from Robben Island, June 23, 1969.)
I sat comfortably on a chair in the darkness of my room reminiscing about the great benefit of good leadership, as Africa and the entire global community prepared for the celebration of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, which climaxed July 18, 2018. Many thoughts raced through my mind, but the one that stood paramount was the necessity for us to look north, south, east and west to find another Madiba because, if only a small percentage of Africa can be like Madiba, the world and our continent will be a better place.
Using Nigeria as a relatable example, our past leaders have moral compasses pointing in the complete opposite direction of that of Mandela. Thus, I often think: if we have made it this far with questionable and selfish leaders, imagine how much further in the right direction we can go with leaders who possess half of the character traits of Mandela; leaders who truly lead.
With the continent surrounded by a plethora of unremarkably corrupt leaders, one’s judgement can easily be clouded by the pain and disappointment that comes with losing a leader of such great repute. However, I will, as much as possible, be objective. Some people might not agree with my train of thought but as someone who has been around for decades and successfully navigated my way to a peak position in one of Nigeria’s top corporations, I dare say I have more than enough facts to back my theory that we lack good leaders in our society.
Although much damage has already been done, we still have a chance to right our wrongs and steer this country in the direction towards prosperity. However, before we can achieve this, we must re-evaluate our priorities, our character, and what we stand for in general. As the great Malcolm X once said, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” That being said, can we all agree that we need to make some changes. Luckily for us, we don’t have to look too far outside our continent to find a great leader to emulate.
Thus, I would like to highlight some key leadership qualities of nelson Mandela, in hope that our next generation of leaders can match or surpass them.
• An Acute Level of Focus: Nelson Mandela became an activist in the university when he aligned with both black and white activists who were also involved in the fight against racial discrimination. When apartheid was introduced in 1948, his alliance with the ANC grew stronger, and he was one of the people at the forefront of the fight against this. During the first against apartheid, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. One would think that would break him and cause him to lose focus of his mission, especially being jailed in isolation and had to undertake the gruelling work of pounding rocks into gravel, which enough to make any man lose his mind or give up, but Mandela stayed laser-sharp focused. During his time in prison, his popularity grew around the world, and upon release in 1990, he immediately began negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa. Not deterred, his laser-sharp focus on the goal finally paid off, in 1994, for the first time, a black man was allowed to run for the office of the President of the Republic of South Africa. Nelson Mandela, backed by the ANC, won the election and continued to fight for his people. Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid lasted for 42 years. Such level of focus for that length of time, despite all odds, is rare and is one of Nelson Mandela’s finest qualities worth emulating.
• A Will to Forgive: When I was a younger man, I was quite stubborn, very opinionated and head-strong. It was due to this strong will that I, unfortunately, landed in jail for a few hours. I remember how upset I felt due to this ordeal, and after the court exonerated me, I remember thinking of blaming the policemen who arrested me and making them pay. Although I did not see this through, the thought lingered on my mind for a very long time. The point of this preamble is to tell you that doing time in prison evokes some malicious thoughts in the heart of a man. Even worse, when you are arrested for a crime that you didn’t commit.
Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years for treason – a crime so vague, they just needed an excuse to put him behind bars. He went in with dark hair, and by the time he was released, his hair was grey. He was separated from family, friends, and the comfort of his home for 27 years. By the time he was out, some of his children had already started families of their own. Twenty-seven years behind bars is a long time for a man to come out and not be spiteful. Nelson Mandela’s will to forgive is one of his most enviable character traits. Mandela knew that what was best for his people was racial harmony. That meant forgiving without forgetting and sharing power. “We have to surprise [the white minority] with restraints and generosity,’’ he said. A master of symbolism, Mandela invited his prison guards to the presidential swearing-in ceremony.
• A Desire to Serve: Many ask why we celebrate Mandela the way we do when he did nothing for Nigeria. Some say why only him, when so many others fought and died in the same battle for freedom. Others point out that we idolize him like a god when he was just as flawed as the next man. The man in question would be among this last set of people as he clearly said in an interview, “My first task when I came out was to destroy that myth that I was something other than an ordinary human being.” I do not deny his humanity; instead, I am inspired by it: the living proof that man can, ultimately, be a leader who puts the need and interest of those he leads first. This is one of the many reasons why Mandela remains a celebrated hero.
•The Willingness to Hand Over Power: after being elected South Africa’s first black president, Mandela announced he would serve only one term, though two were permissible. Mandela did not attempt to have the constitution amended to remove the two-term limit; a move that many might have supported wholeheartedly; instead, he only had the intention of serving one term, which he did, and left office June 14, 1999, “with nothing”: no looting, no greed for power, no hidden agenda. He simply understood that rallying the country and bridging diverse interests meant making room for others. The philosopher Lao Tzu said the following: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
We are burdened with too many leaders wanting and demanding accolades they believe they deserve; even worse, when they don’t deserve it.
Nelson Mandela, whether talking about his fight against apartheid, his time in prison, his emergence as a global icon, or speaking about anything, his words often have a resonance far beyond their original context. He exhibited an uncanny wisdom most cannot comprehend, and his perspective on leadership remains unequalled; one of his values as a leader is found in his words, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. The people will appreciate your leadership.”
No leader has inspired anything like devotion and reverence that Mandela did, and Africa cries out for great leaders like him. For our leaders have shown there is precious little to admire and much more to lament. Indeed, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to call Mandela the last of the great ones; a truly inspirational historical leader in his own class. Who will pick up his mantle? We can only hope and strive to seek out one. Thus, the call is made, and the race is set: Will any step up?