By Eunice Oruru
While writing this piece, first, I told myself that one great quality a true leader must possess is to be reliable, acceptable and, above all, accessible.
We have great prominent leaders in the world, both past and present, mostly great leaders like father of all nations, Nelson Mandela; Abraham Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, the Pope, Martin Luther king Jnr., Malcolm X and many others. What makes them great leaders is the ability to allow people they are leading gain access to them in order to create a platform where they can interact, exchange ideas.
Good leadership is based on good relationships. If Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu did not have access to Mandela, he would not have learnt his great inspirational and motivational words of wisdom from him. Again, if he did not meet former United States President, Bill Clinton, in office, he would not have learnt some leadership traits from him. Indeed, people won’t go along with you if they can’t get along with you. This shows the effect of one’s leadership qualities on the people you are leading.
In Nigeria today, people find it difficult to gain access to people who occupy even the lowest office. It is even worse the higher the office. Such leaders who do not grant people access would not know what they lose. How do you expect a leader to do well in office when he cannot reach out to his people easily and know what their challenges are? How would he gain knowledge if he can’t tap from other’s knowledge when they have access to him?
Dr. Kalu is one true great leader from the eastern part of Nigeria that always grants people access. I am not from the East or from his state, Abia, but I have been opportune and privileged to interact with him. Distinctively, I have never met a governor, or former governor or commissioner in my home state, Delta. It is not that I would not want. It is simply because the opportunity and access have always been denied. Even when you are able to get their mobile numbers, it will always be unreachable.
Interestingly, Kalu picks his call, chats on social media and replies text messages. Above all, he allows people to freely connect with him. In the eastern part of the country, he is loved. He is also loved in the northern, western and southern parts of the country. All these point to the facts that he is a down-to-earth leader, who interacts and allows people to have access to him. Let other leaders learn to emulate great Nigerians like Dr. Kalu, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and many others that are down-to-earth. Kalu, as a fearless leader, said: “When someone treats you like you’re just one of many options, help them narrow their choices by removing yourself from the equation.”
My advice to people in leadership position is this: Sometimes, you have to try not to care, no matter how much you do. Sometimes, you can mean almost nothing to someone who means so much. It’s not pride, but self-respect. Don’t expect to see positive changes in your life if you surround yourself with negative people. Don’t give part-time people a full-time position in your life. Know your value and what you have to offer and never settle for anything less than you deserve. Above all, allow people to gain access to you. To this end, I am proud to say I see Dr. Kalu, as the Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jnr. of our time.
• Oruru wrote in from Warri, Delta State.