I WANT TO BE A BOSS
Viewed externally, Aden was wonderful; the proverbial promised land.You could easily become wealthy there. In it, hard work was quickly rewarded. There, goodwill could be gained easily and honestly. Dubious individuals in Aden were even able to become wealthy through their trade. The country was great and hunger was difficult to hear of in the entire land. Even Aden’s beggars were always filled.
If you invested in Aden, you could reap twice your capital in returns. It was the toast of the countries around it. Human and material resources of various forms were available. It was a unique place – well positioned for commerce. That was the view of Aden from outside its borders. Inside the country, however, things were very different.
In reality, Aden was beset with many challenges. Its people suffered a lot. It had a high crime rate, poor infrastructure and so many other undesirable situations. That was at variance with the expectations and thoughts of everyone outside. Outsiders saw Aden as a haven but those within its borders felt otherwise. The land of promise was, in reality, a land of waste. In spite of its great potential, Aden was failing.
Different people groups in Aden traded blame over its failure. Some people believed Aden’s politicians were responsible for its situation. Some others blamed the older generation of its people, another blamed the youths for the trouble and the final group blamed Aden’s failure on its religious leaders. Sadly, as they played the blame game, no one proffered real solutions to help the country make progress.
“Is Aden under a spell?” Foreign tourists in the country asked that as they considered the divergence between Aden’s actual status and others’ perception of it. If other nations had half of Aden’s resources, they would have been five or more times better. Were Adenites blind to the riches all around them?Many of them, in reality, ran helter-skelter,never really pin-pointing their problem sources or the solutions required. They seemed to be jinxed and that was one thing that needed breaking.
A deep look into the situation of things would reveal that Aden’s political class looked out for themselves alone. They stored up so much wealth, as though they were keeping such for their unborn generations. It was the commonwealth of the people but it was being squandered by a few men in privileged positions. Such money was originally earmarked for strengthening the country’s development but Aden’s politicians channelled it inappropriately. One would think they will better the nation with such funds, share the wealth around, empower the young ones, make investment in the country to attract foreign investor, pull their hand off certain business to encourage indigenous private company to strive in them but rather they kept deferring action on important aspects of Aden’s development, complaining about the inherent hassles. They believed they could attend to those areas at a later time.
Aden’s youths, on the other hand, had a sense of entitlement to positions of prominence in the country. They were of the opinion that the country’s older generation of leaders in all spheres; religious, social, etc., had used up their fair share of time in leadership positions and should relinquish many of those positions to the youths. “They have sucked Aden dry and are eating tomorrow’s seed that is meant for us. Is our future the air they are to breathe?” One of the vocal youths shouted that as he aired his views during an interview in a local television programme. Aden’s youths’ agitations were met with stiff opposition from all groups, who insisted that the youths were largely irresponsible and grossly inexperienced to provide leadership.
Aden’s youths were young and vibrant and they were eager to take over the reins of power but were they really ready for that? Many of them were carefree and clueless about what it took to be respectable leaders. They were more interested in the recognition that accompanied leadership positions. They weren’t worthy of such. They were not patient to learn either and that was a particularly bad thing because with the largely irresponsible leadership in the country, there were few good examples to serve as role models.
Youths are young and vibrant and they love to exercise influence. Driving SUVs, becoming wealthy and rising to positions of prominence, were things young Adenites longed for. “Let us be bosses; let us be bosses!” they continually clamoured. There was nothing wrong with being bosses but most young Adenites were not ready for such. While a quick rise to riches and prominence was possible, the youths needed patience to go through the process of growing, to enable them achieve their desires over time. Sometimes, to be able to manage an SUV, one would need to learn how to manage a saloon car.
Youthful exuberance is a fact of life but the ability to listen and learn, rather than constantly argue to prove a point is a key requirement for leadership. Rushing into a position of leadership could result in a colossal failure.Being bosses would require being as capable as, or better able than,the older generation but most of Aden’s youths were not yet ready.They needed good tutelage. They were eager to become bosses but they really did not have the qualities or experience necessary to be effective leaders. They had a lot to learn, from mannerism to strategy and planning skills, to how to go about advocacy, executing plans and bringing about change.
On the religious front, what held sway was pitiable; the leaders of the various religions were not truthful. Religious leaders should encourage better morals and societal reforms but in Aden, they were selfish. Rather than preach to the people about the need for conformity with religion and to seek the general good,Aden’s religious leaders preached messages that were aimed at their own enrichment. They insisted that they had a divine mandate and were walking according to that mandate. They claimed that their mandate sought the best outcome for humanity. They constantly urged their congregations to give willingly, even to the point of debt, claiming that their message was divine. Their practice enslaved the people under the pretext of worship and piety.
Whenever the leaders of the various religions in Aden were asked whether it was the wish of their maker to see the land restored, they typically responded, “Yes” but their answers were usually followed by self-centred and self-promoting statements such as “He will change things around by himself” or “Things will get better when our people get into political leadership positions”; “…when our religion or teachings are accepted all over the country”; “…when our enemies who oppose our religion are dead”, etc.
Aden’s people groups continued to play the blame game. They were all implicit in the situation, however. The fate of their country was in their hands and their collective actions and inactions had placed them in their situation. Conscious, purposeful, effort on the part of every one of the major groups; the politicians, the elders, the youths and the religious leaders, would have returned the country to the right path but the will for that was lacking; everyone was after his or her own interest.
Until conscious action was taken to move Aden forward, positive change and development would remain dreams. It takes people who are willing to bring positive change to cause it to happen. Finger-pointing alone does not cause meaningful change. Sometimes it only results in causing infuriation between people. What could Aden have done differently? What exactly would have tipped things over for good in the nation? Working together, for the common good!
Aden’s possession of vast human and material resources was not in question. When outsiders praised the land, it was on the basis of information they had about it. A lot of misinformation had been peddled for years about the country but it was not true. Its people were not united. If the politicians were to use the nation’s funds for the very purpose that they were meant; if they were to be accountable to the people, rather than seek their own personal interests, things would take a positive shift.
If the politicians stopped their shameful display of ill-gotten wealth and if they focused on governance, which was the essence of their election, the citizens of the country and the teeming youth population would trust them more.Aden’s elders, while right about the situation with many of the country’s youths, were not helping matters. They were not consciously embracing even the few responsible youths, to inspire them and mentor them for leadership. They constantly castigated the entire group of youths. They had no plan for them. A nation that neglects its youths endangers its future because those youths might become clogs in the wheels of progress rather than a formidable force for the implementation of future initiatives for the welfare of the nation.
On the heels of the politicians and elders in Aden, if the religious leaders would begin to speak the truth and live with a good conscience before God, the people of Aden would be in better hands. It is important to walk in honesty. Using the name of God to deceive people and for personal enrichment was shameful and absolutely condemnable. It was sly and unbecoming for people who were supposed to walk in truth. They needed to repent. They needed God’s forgiveness. They also needed the people’s forgiveness.
Aden’s religious leaders would do well to retrace their steps and begin to preach the truth to their congregations. They would do well to place their needs last because in service to God, reward comes from God Himself, not from people. God may enrich a person through others but no one would need to manipulate others in order to make that happen. Preaching peace, love, kindness and other godly virtues should have been the priority of Aden’s religious leaders.
If Aden’s youths would be more responsible and less self-centred; if they would have the future of their country at heart, transiting to leadership positions would be easier. Their expectations of a sudden rise to prominence were unrealistic and irresponsible. Giving national political power to unready youths was a recipe for trouble. Rather than clamour for the politicians to quickly relinquish their positions to the youths, the youths should have first demanded that the politicians become more responsible. Following that, they could have called upon politicians and elders to institute systems for grooming young people on the qualities and imperatives of leadership, to prepare them for those roles in future.
“We want to take leadership!” That was the clamour of Aden’s youths. In truth, they were each saying, “I want to be the boss!” Leadership is not about wielding power whichever way one wishes. It is about taking responsibility for stirring the direction of movement. It requires knowledge, selflessness and sacrifice. Being the boss is not the imperative of leadership. The youths in Aden would need to learn that.
If all the people groups in the land looked at the bigger picture, they would really be able to move the nation forward; they would tap into a goldmine beyond the material resources of the country; their hearts. With that, the treasures they had constantly sought in other countries would be uncovered on their own soil. Aden would then be almost limitless and it citizens would be the better for it.
Written
By
Ikenna I. Anyadike
Edited by Chudikufu Onianwa of ChuDifu Projects
