I do not think there is any Governor, Senator, or House of Reps member in Nigeria who has never travelled overseas or taken a ride around town while overseas. Adding to that, I do not think any of them can boast of seeing this picture (please, see the video playing) during their visit. That willful, deliberate ignorance of what is right and expected of true leadership defines the greed and selfishness that are the hallmarks of Nigerian leadership. If your Mama, for instance, as a Governor, Senator, or President, cannot climb onto that train, why should you expect my Mama to risk the climb or forget the train?
That's where love or compassion comes in. You can't fake compassion or love for your people; it evolves effortlessly, reflecting in your words and performances on the ground. That's Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State. When Chief Obafemi Awolowo was leaving for overseas in pursuit of his advanced degree, he stated unequivocally: When I come back, no child of school-going age will walk a long distance to school again. He came back and he did it. Today, his educational program in the old Western Region remains unbeatable. That's Vision. And that's Love for the people.
Today, they are acquiring wealth they cannot use; building houses whose rental income they have no need of; stealing and accumulating cash they can never spend in their lifetime. Even NDDC, a government agency is building roads that cannot withstand two seasons of rainfall. Sadly, Abuja cannot enforce the basic regulatory mechanisms that would bring the best out of the investments in infrastructural facilities. That is where Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State is setting the pace worthy of emulation.
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The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.