Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has joined friends and well-wishers of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at his 87th birthday celebration.
Jonathan, who congratulated Obasanjo on his X handle on Tuesday, March 5, wrote: “Today, in Abeokuta, I joined friends and well-wishers of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at a lecture in commemoration of his 87th birthday.
“I believe the promise of the topic of the lecture, ‘Quality Leadership and Inclusive Democracy as Catalyst for Development in a Crises-ridden World’ goes to the heart of Africa’s development and global progress.
“In sharing my thoughts on the topic, I made the point that inclusive democracy and effective leadership hold the key to unlocking Africa’s great potentials and transforming crises-ridden landscapes into beacons of hope, peace and prosperity.”
The event also had in attendance former Ghanaian President John Mahama, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, and a host of other dignitaries.
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The event was marked with a book launch held at the main auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, OOPL, where the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Hassan Kukah, reviewed a 13-chapter book titled, ‘The Art of Leading: “Unconventional Wisdom from Biblical”.
Reviewing the book, the clergyman explained that it is a manual for Christians on how they can make an impact in politics.
He also emphasised that Nigerian leaders must cooperate and work under the grace of God to succeed in their assignments.
“Fundamentally, what this book is saying is that every form of leadership should be about servant leadership and a good example can be seen in Jesus Christ – a servant leader is a man who is ready to sacrifice himself, sacrifice his life and his personal comfort. Thinking about how to solve people’s problems.
“If you are a leader in an African country, I don’t envy them. Largely because they have different advisers who have advised to suit their personal interest and mislead the leader .
“If you are thinking as a leader you need to ask yourself everyday “will I pass the test of God that put me here.? There are not so many problems and challenges but the problem is the capacitor to face and fight those challenges.
“But what is most fascinating is that God only gives the armour with which we fight and overcome those challenges and that is if you look up to him . This book draws examples from the value and the meaning of servant leadership which can only be effective what guides if the obedience to the will of God.
“One of the lessons you will least from this book is that if your belief in God is true and absolute, you will succeed.”
Delivering his speech at the event, Obasanjo said the adoption of Western liberal democracy gave room for electoral malpractice and encouraged politicians to win elections by “hook or crook” with the judiciary being incapacitated.
Obasanjo, who argued that Western democracy is not relevant to “our culture and history”, insisted that Africa needs to adopt a form of democracy that is “sufficiently African in content”, which will recognise African culture and history.
“We have inherited liberal democracy from the west because they are the ones who colonised us and they only gave us what they had.
“Let me say two or three things about this liberal democracy. They have something they (west) call loyal opposition. I have researched African languages for opposition. The meaning in almost all African languages is enemy, how do you have a loyal enemy?
“So what they have given to us does not make sense in African context, In african way, we have consensus, we sit under the tree and we iron out and we then decide okay, this is the way it will go, there is no opposition, but they, they have loyal opposition because they came out of monarchy and you can be loyal to the monarchy.
“We are rethinking liberal democracy because if it is relevant to their culture and their history, what they have given us is not relevant to our culture and to our history.
“Now, I believe that when we are able to have democracy that is African in content, sufficiently African in content, in culture and in history and in practice the sort of thing that happened in plateau state recently will not happen, because the idea of ‘well, we will win by hook or by crook, you go to court, there will not be question going to court because you won’t have to win by hook or by crook, you will have to settle it the way we settle things in Africa before liberal democracy,” Obasanjo said.
He however noted that the country needs leaders that are transformational and not transactional.
Obasanjo further stressed that, leaders that are truly ready to serve and sacrificial in nature are all Nigeria needs “at a crucial time like this”.
The former President, who also launched; Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute, OOLI, at the event, said, “Leaders that will be transformational instead of transactional, leaders that will be servant leaders, sacrificial and in addition to writing books and talking about it can it be taught? Can leadership be taught? Can we look at where leadership has worked and I believe that for me we cannot go farther than in the Bible.
“But also if it can be taught, what do we need to teach, what do we need to inculcate, what do we need to make people absorb leadership tenets, leadership principles and factors that will make us move fast and move far together and that is what OOLI is about.”
