Political associates, admirers, family, and friends of the Late Olusola Abubakar Saraki converged on Abuja, Nigeria’s capital for the 10th lecture series in his honor and to remind themselves of qualities that made him a leader loved by many.
Renowned African scholar Professor Patrick Lumumba who delivered the lecture, spoke truth to power when he said true and sustainable leadership required that they have followership that calls leaders to account, make demands to believe their words on improving their lives such as improved agriculture, and intensified use of technology.
“A followership that knows that when you are promising to do things within 100 Days, which ordinarily can only be done in five years, they know that you’re a liar, a followership that is capable of discerning that when you speak things, there are many variables, and it is the duty of leadership to ensure that such leadership is indeed created”.
Professor Lumumba said Nigeria’s position is such that any instability in Nigeria means unease in Africa but that at the moment, the leadership deficit on the continent is hampering the growth of the continent causing leaders to allow NGOs and foreign countries to fill the gaps filling the citizens with foreign ideas.
“Africa is not going to realize our potential as long as we continue to conduct the politics of money and money bonds, not the politics of ideas. I’m suggesting to you that Africa is never got to realize our potential as long as we are dividing our people into ethnic lines”.
He called on leaders in Nigeria and the rest of Africa to rise a followership exorcised of ethnic and religious tendencies if they are going to change the continent of Africa, “We have got to exorcise ignorance. We have got to exorcise poverty. We have gone to exorcise narrow-mindedness, fellow Nigerians it is still true that everything fans and follows on leadership”.
Professor Patrick Lumumba described Olusola Saraki as a colossus whose basket of goodies far outweighs his basket of bad and that after 10 years of his death political leaders need to ask themselves if their performances have empowered their followers to create wealth, feed, get shelter for themselves.
”Today, let us take a solemn vow that we are not simply here to memorialize him we are not simply here to remember what he did. We are not simply here to repeat the things that he did we are here to imbibe the spirit of his message we have come here to have a little Sarah in us. So that when in the month of February, Nigeria will be electing its leaders. It may be that good men and women rose and good men and women came out to vote and the best man won.”
President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by Governor Babagab Zaulum of Borno State northeast Nigeria eulogized Senator Olusola Saraki as a Nigerian statesman who participated in the evolution of Nigeria’s political development who earned the respect of politicians and many Nigerians owing to his contributions to Nigeria’s polity.
”I want to use this opportunity to ask my fellow politicians to take away lessons from the lecture that he has delivered with a view to moving Nigeria forward. Saraki was a Nigerian statesman who participated in the evolution of Nigerian political development by serving as a Senate Leader and a presidential aspirant of the then APP which was one of the parties that formed APC”.
Chairman of the occasion and Sultan of Sokoto, in northwest Nigeria, His Eminence Saad Abubakar the third expressed their interest in what happens in the country and as the nation faces serious politicking discussing leadership and followership by a distinguished African is significant and apt.
“The topic chosen by the organizers is so apt, and important because we are into political activities and we are looking for leaders to steer the ship of State to an excellent destination, we must look at who a leader should be, what leadership should not be, what we should do as followers to ensure we have a good leader, if you have good leaders, you will have good followership, if you have bad followership, you will have bad leadership”.
The Sultan urged leaders to always uphold the truth, be honest, be transparent and be accountable, as Almighty Allah would ask them.
“Campaign honestly, like a gentleman, and convince people to vote for you and when you do get the votes, discharge your responsibility to the best of your knowledge”.
Senator Bokula Saraki, son of the late Senate Leader was overwhelmed by the attendance by political associates of his father which transcended political leaning.
He said leadership and followership was very dear to his father’s heart reason why in celebrating his life they are bringing the topic to national consciousness.
“His followers were his life. They formed the core of his politics and well-being. He believed they should have a say in his political decisions and he never took any action without consulting or briefing them. He never took their loyalty for granted. He believed in the physical, intellectual, spiritual, and material development of his followers. He believed a leader is as good as his followers.”
The Late Olusola Abubakar Saraki was a political powerhouse in Nigeria In 1977, he was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly that produced the 1979 constitution. In 1979 he was elected a Senator of the Second Republic and became Senate Leader.
He died in 2012 at the age of 79.
Lateefah Ibrahim
