NIGERIA – THE LEADER NEXT TIME

I had the pleasure to sit with one of the most cerebral leaders in this country, and he asked me – ‘Edgar, what kind of leader do we look for come 2023, and how are we going to get that leader?’ I look the bro, and I tell am very candidly that we need a ‘calming leader’. Then he asked how will that leader emerge in 2023? Will he just drop from the sky and I say, bro I no know o. Just give me the money for tickets to my play Aremu and Awo make I dey go.

But before I left, he took me through a very powerful exposition on leadership, our historical trajectory, the role of foreign powers and the need for us to wake up from this slumber and ended it with a beautiful exhortation that he has no Plan B and would end up in his village in a loincloth.

I loved him and gave him a 20 per cent discount on the tickets. My sentiments, essentially. We are faced with the most challenging leadership ever since 1914, and our only reaction to this na Nnamdi Kanu and Igboho? Are we mad as a people? Something must really be wrong with this our country. This generation of 30 to 60, na we no get sense. The older generation fought to keep us together even though they are the ones who have caused and still are instrumental to this fire we are in. Our reaction as the bridge generation is to be jumping and be shouting Plan B or separation.

Look, when Duchess catch me with woman (plenty woman sef not only one) she say she no do again. It was tough o. She say, she want separation and I must buy her house as compensation – this one was watching too many American films. House with my N70,000 Magnum Trust Bank salary? Mbok, no let me laugh for this serious matter. We went to so many counsellors and pastors and as we were entering, I gave terms of reference. Divorce or separation is not an option. Every other thing I will do. Even one ‘woli’ they take us to said he will flog me seven strokes with the cane Yoruba people call atori so that my thing will only stand for Duchess. I say oya and the baba flog me o. One craze prophet o for Agege, he truly flog me o. But some of us are born polygamist, no cure for it.

The point here is that once you commit, you commit. You don’t run away at the slightest challenges. That is the sacrifice of leadership we should be looking for in 2023. We should say never again. We should as a nation begin the search for credible calming leadership anywhere he comes from. Me I will vote Fulani or Tiv or even Igbira if I see the qualities. We are 200 million vibrant, colourful, characters. We are the cynosure of the world; a gathering of Nigerians is usually admired anywhere.

Our clothes, our food, our women, our culture, our attitudes, everything: we are unique and wonderfully made. Mbok, see me dey sound like Pastor Adefarasin before he see vision of Plan B. That one sef, when he want to run, he should sha let me come and collect his kaftan o, dey can fine. Let’s get serious, no time.