• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Guest Columns

The Rising Tide of Populism, By Taiwo Odukoya

by Premium Times
November 21, 2016
4 min read
0

Nigerian Youth

Leaders who do not develop a system for staying in touch with the realities of the people and a mechanism for responding swiftly to the pressing issues will most likely find themselves out of touch and ultimately out of relevance.


From a leadership perspective, the just concluded United States elections and the emergence of Donald Trump as president-elect reinforces the rising tide of populist discontent across the world, which we spoke about in a previous article. As America and the rest of the world grapples with the import of a Trump presidency, leaders everywhere, public and private sectors alike, must also rise up to meet the challenge of satisfying the sometimes multifaceted needs of diverse populations in just and equitable ways. This will require a genuine commitment to understanding the needs and feelings of the people at every point in time.

Leaders who must lead effectively in these complicated times of ours must, by all means, avoid being stuck in echo chambers, where honest feedback is filtered through a retinue of aides and yes-men. Leaders who do not develop a system for staying in touch with the realities of the people and a mechanism for responding swiftly to the pressing issues will most likely find themselves out of touch and ultimately out of relevance.

In 1 Kings Chapter 12, the Bible tells us how King Solomon’s heir, Rehoboam, a young and promising king, lost his throne because he chose to follow the imprudent counsel of his circle of friends, against the wishes of the people. The Bible captured the essence of Rehoboam’s failed leadership tenure in nine words: “So the king did not listen to the people….” (1 Kings 12:15a).

Jens Stoltenberg, one-time Norwegian Prime Minister and current NATO Secretary General, was famed for disguising himself as a taxi driver and driving passengers around the streets of Oslo for several hours. Quizzed by Norwegian daily newspaper VG about his rationale for doing this, Stoltenberg said, “If there is one place where people say what they really mean about most things, it is in a taxi.” In 1982, Tom Peters and Bob Waterman in their seminal work, In Search of Excellence, popularised the phrase ‘Management By Walking Around (MBWA)’. MBWA referred to the leadership practice of the founders of HP, William Hewlett and David Packard, and others, who believed in getting firsthand information from employees and customers by taking routine walks around the establishment. The aim was to listen to what people were really feeling and saying, use the opportunity to transmit the company’s values face-to-face and give people on-the-spot help. Disney leaders worked shifts with their resort teams, and the CEO of waste management firm, Veolia regularly went out with his staff to collect trash.

…one of the biggest problems of the Nigerian state is the apparent disconnect between the leadership and the people. This has created a vacuum of trust between the leadership and the led that makes the environment for governance somewhat toxic.


The primary responsibility of leadership is to serve the people. And you cannot effectively serve a people whose passions, anxieties and needs are not well known to you. Today you do not need to physically walk around to feel the pulse of the people. You can hear them on social media, their voices and frustrations screaming out from myriads of platforms. The 21st century leader’s responsibility is to listen and act swiftly on the insight gleaned.

It is true that one of the biggest problems of the Nigerian state is the apparent disconnect between the leadership and the people. This has created a vacuum of trust between the leadership and the led that makes the environment for governance somewhat toxic. The truth is, we cannot ignore the question of poverty and sectionalism. We cannot ignore the question of political restructuring. We cannot ignore the question of dilapidated or inadequate infrastructure in every sector, including education and healthcare, to name a few. The legacy of leadership, today and tomorrow, will be determined by how well issues are understood and dealt with.

The truth is, leadership is a dialogue, an ongoing conversation where the needs of the people and the efforts to meet them are constantly being negotiated against the backdrop of changing realities. And the realities of millions of Nigerians are turning on the wheels of harsh economic realities. We would need to break out of the comfort of our air-conditioned homes and offices, time and again, to understand the travails of the people and the urgency with which we have to find solutions to the issues that affect them. We need the full cooperation of the people if we are going to turn things around, and to get it we have to engage them, listen to them, let them know we know where the shoe pinches and let them know the solutions we are proffering and working on to alleviate them. This is important for leaders everywhere and at every level. We need to connect with the people where they are and together forge common solutions to the problems that plague us.

NIGERIA HAS A GREAT FUTURE!

Taiwo Odukoya, a leadership and relationship expert, is the Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

Good and Bad Success, By Femi Aribisala

Next Post

How to Make a Country Become First World Through the Power of Faith (1), By Sunday Adelaja

Related Posts

Zamfara Gold As Commonwealth, By Zailani Bappa
Opinion

Sheikh Gumi, Governor Matawalle and the Sands of Time, By Zailani Bappa

February 2, 2021
June 12 As Democracy Day Needs To Be Reconsidered, By Bashir Tofa
Opinion

The Need To Act Now To Stop the Ethnic Conflagration!, By Bashir Othman Tofa

February 2, 2021
Kofi Annan: In Service of the World, By Ejeviome Eloho Otobo & Oseloka H. Obaze
Opinion

Biden’s Likely Policy Orientation Toward Africa, By Ejeviome E. Otobo and Oseloka H. Obaze

February 2, 2021
Agenda for ‘Born Again’ JAMB and TETFUND, By Tunde Musibau Akanni
Opinion

Oyeweso, A Celebrated Historian, Ascends the Sixth Floor, By Tunde Akanni

February 2, 2021
Before Nigeria Burns, By Akin Fadeyi
Opinion

Is President Buhari Presiding Over the Last United Nigeria?, By Akin Fadeyi

February 2, 2021
On A Soyinka Prize In ‘Illiteracy’, By Biko Agozino
Opinion

Obasanjo: Only Those Who Did Not Do Well Went Into the Military, By Biko Agozino

February 1, 2021
Next Post
How to Develop a Nation Through Science and Technology (1), By Sunday Adelaja

How to Make a Country Become First World Through the Power of Faith (1), By Sunday Adelaja

Boko Haram and The Limit of Two Narratives, By Adeolu Ademoyo

When the American Church Voted for Racism And Bigotry, By Adeolu Ademoyo

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,540 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Slaughtering Animal for the New Born Baby (Al-Aqiqah) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    Slaughtering Animal for the New Born Baby (Al-Aqiqah) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
    Showing Gratitude To Allah For His Bounties, Blessings and Favours, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
    You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.