Silence deceives, and public silence misleads. On public governance in
representative democracy, the public, the pristine owners of governing
sovereignty or mandate, must have access to information that enlightens
them about problems of governance confronting their representatives,
practicable knowledge of their collective problems by their
representatives, and efforts being made by those representatives to
address them. Then, they must hear a clear voice from their
representatives, if they must run in the direction of the call. That is
why the leader's vision must be written down, and simplified in a way
that whosoever reads it will run with it.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. But who communicates vision better than the leader? He must not lead from behind. He must not wait for the people to take the lead. He must give out his call for duty either in discerning codes or plain tenor. Can the people prepare for "battle" if the trumpet does not make a certain sound?
It is dangerous to be understood that volunteers of public views about governance must first be masters of sophistry, moderation and genteel oratory. If this becomes common expectation, the leader will become a victim of deceit, and the sincere critic withdraws, feeling he is a marked person by arrows of intolerance. The leader, like a scavenger, must burrow through the pile of criticism to pick the buried gems beneath, and wash his hands after with perfumed detergent. His enjoyment of the precious find will be sufficient compensation. The leader must constantly keep within his heart this famous declaration of the Master: "Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:26).
Two main reasons readily advance themselves why public criticism and proposal of alternative governance choices will always trump the alternative: The leader cannot possibly have time for private engagement with the writers; also, consider that he may have many official advisers and assistants. Secondly, the public must be beneficiaries of the writers' views. Writers are modern prophets and shapers of societal opinion. From the reading public are persons that will take over from today's leaders in the future; and they must not be denied useful lessons by the preponderating call for hushing.
My exchanges with certain patriots about governing choices or the lack of them by Nigeria's elected public servants have projected four unfortunate assumptions:
1. Whosoever publicly criticizes the governor is not being fair or charitable to him. This is wrong because public criticism of a leader presents opportunity for public education by the minders of the leader, not vitriol.
2. The public official can do without the critic, who in the opinion of those who hold the view, has exaggerated view of his importance, and accordingly, is nauseating.
3. Whosoever criticizes an elected public official has some personal interest such as seeking reward or public office and attention from the governor, or some axe to grind ( DISGRUNTLED). It is assumed no criticism can be an altruistic outing.
4. The critic only takes pleasure in displaying his intelligence while there are many who are better than him.
Pondering the above, the critic has two options: to withdraw completely from public discourse about Benue and take a comfortable seat among spectators, which will give satisfaction to his mockers or traducers; or to ignore all distractions, being convinced in the purity of his motives.
I remember Luke 6:26, and since the word is shut up within me like fire, and I cannot hold it in, I will always speak up at the right time and in agreement with my conscience about governance, not only in Nigeria, but also specifically, about Benue. I seek neither applause nor earthly reward. I crave not earthly friendships; those who choose to be my friends must know what I stand for.
Let me conclude with my mission-song that God gave me in 1992. I had asked him to change this song; but I know it is a life calling, to which I am strongly committed:
So send I you to labor unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for me alone.
So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake.
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake.
So send I you to loneliness and longing
With a heart a-hungering for the loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know my love alone.
So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to loose your life in Mine.
So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary
"As the Father has sent me, so send I you."
This is my life. I have asked God, "Take Nigeria away from my heart." But he does not. Benue cannot leave my heart; and Tiv nation remains there also. I have seen weeping in Benue. And I weep for Benue. May God have compassion on us and open our eyes to see what we must do FIRST.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. But who communicates vision better than the leader? He must not lead from behind. He must not wait for the people to take the lead. He must give out his call for duty either in discerning codes or plain tenor. Can the people prepare for "battle" if the trumpet does not make a certain sound?
It is dangerous to be understood that volunteers of public views about governance must first be masters of sophistry, moderation and genteel oratory. If this becomes common expectation, the leader will become a victim of deceit, and the sincere critic withdraws, feeling he is a marked person by arrows of intolerance. The leader, like a scavenger, must burrow through the pile of criticism to pick the buried gems beneath, and wash his hands after with perfumed detergent. His enjoyment of the precious find will be sufficient compensation. The leader must constantly keep within his heart this famous declaration of the Master: "Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:26).
Two main reasons readily advance themselves why public criticism and proposal of alternative governance choices will always trump the alternative: The leader cannot possibly have time for private engagement with the writers; also, consider that he may have many official advisers and assistants. Secondly, the public must be beneficiaries of the writers' views. Writers are modern prophets and shapers of societal opinion. From the reading public are persons that will take over from today's leaders in the future; and they must not be denied useful lessons by the preponderating call for hushing.
My exchanges with certain patriots about governing choices or the lack of them by Nigeria's elected public servants have projected four unfortunate assumptions:
1. Whosoever publicly criticizes the governor is not being fair or charitable to him. This is wrong because public criticism of a leader presents opportunity for public education by the minders of the leader, not vitriol.
2. The public official can do without the critic, who in the opinion of those who hold the view, has exaggerated view of his importance, and accordingly, is nauseating.
3. Whosoever criticizes an elected public official has some personal interest such as seeking reward or public office and attention from the governor, or some axe to grind ( DISGRUNTLED). It is assumed no criticism can be an altruistic outing.
4. The critic only takes pleasure in displaying his intelligence while there are many who are better than him.
Pondering the above, the critic has two options: to withdraw completely from public discourse about Benue and take a comfortable seat among spectators, which will give satisfaction to his mockers or traducers; or to ignore all distractions, being convinced in the purity of his motives.
I remember Luke 6:26, and since the word is shut up within me like fire, and I cannot hold it in, I will always speak up at the right time and in agreement with my conscience about governance, not only in Nigeria, but also specifically, about Benue. I seek neither applause nor earthly reward. I crave not earthly friendships; those who choose to be my friends must know what I stand for.
Let me conclude with my mission-song that God gave me in 1992. I had asked him to change this song; but I know it is a life calling, to which I am strongly committed:
So send I you to labor unrewarded
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing
So send I you to toil for me alone.
So send I you to bind the bruised and broken
Over wandering souls to work, to weep, to wake.
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary
So send I you to suffer for My sake.
So send I you to loneliness and longing
With a heart a-hungering for the loved and known
Forsaking kin and kindred, friend and dear one
So send I you to know my love alone.
So send I you to leave your life's ambition
To die to dear desire, self-will resign
To labor long, and love where men revile you
So send I you to loose your life in Mine.
So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred
To eyes made blind because they will not see
To spend, though it be blood to spend and spare not
So send I you to taste of Calvary
"As the Father has sent me, so send I you."
This is my life. I have asked God, "Take Nigeria away from my heart." But he does not. Benue cannot leave my heart; and Tiv nation remains there also. I have seen weeping in Benue. And I weep for Benue. May God have compassion on us and open our eyes to see what we must do FIRST.
No comments:
Post a Comment