20/01/2024
WHEN LEADERS ARE DRIVEN BY LOVE
The experience of my trip from the Mainland to and fro the Island of Lagos yesterday remain strong on my heart. It is the second trip this January and l cannot hide my amazement, encouragement and fulfilment about how relatively seamless both trips were in spite of the enormous and comprehensive repair works going on on one wing of the Third Mainland bridge. This will obviously not make sense to you except you are a Lagosian or a regular visitor to Lagos.
Repairs of equal or less magnitude had in the past literally sent people to hell on earth; needless pains, sufferings and losses ... name it. People groaned in agony and it looked like no one cared - "why should you complain while we are trying to help you" sounded like the unspoken words of men and women in authority.
The repair going on on the Third Mainland bridge is offering a different experience altogether and that's why l cannot but express my joy for this change of operations. But the question is, what really changed? Here's my thought:
When leaders have the love OF the people and the love FOR the people in their hearts, outcomes tell it aloud. The love of people is a disincentive to making rash, poor and not well thought through decisions that can deliver avoidable hardships to the led whereas love for the people places a leader in an unrest mode until he/she quickly corrects the error of misjudgement in decision making evidenced by unnecessary pains on the led.
No doubt, for some growth to happen, some dimensions of pain are unavoidable. That's the truth. But when leaders are driven by the love of and for the people, they avoid the 'avoidables' and ensure that the unavoidable pains do not prolong.
I know that one way to turn actions to culture is to openly and lavishly celebrate and reward right actions. I am therefore with this open note celebrating and applauding individuals, teams, agencies and authorities working together on the repairs of the Third Mainland bridge for doing so in an excellent manner; bringing discomforts to road users to the barest minimum level.
You may want to remind me that the method being used for the ongoing repairs is not in use for the first time, thank you and you are correct. In my opinion however, the result has never been this good. I therefore shout THANK YOU on the rooftops to all worthy Nigerians (and expatriates) doing this great job. Things work when we work them. And we can.
Let me conclude this way - I am reminding myself just as l'm doing to you, my friends: it doesn't always have to be hard, rough, tough, difficult and complicated. Life in itself is already complex enough. Many people are working hard to resolve the puzzles of life. We should not make the process harder and more complicated for them.
We can achieve great things quietly and if necessary and unavoidable, with the minimum upsets possible.
Please enjoy your weekend and keep safe.
God bless you.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu