By Ndu

Samuel

Iconic Scholar and Professor of Drama, Dramatic theory and Criticism at the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island Bayelsa State, Prof. Ben Binebai has underscore the need for exemplary leadership that will promote peace, unity and dignity of the Ijaw nation.
Binebai in poetic styled message penciled down to inform and enlightened the people on the benefits of having good leaders explained that the Ijaw nation is currently in dire need of visionary leaders and not the other way round, saying that such leaders usually lead the people well both in and out of office.
The university don said Ijaw land is in need of leaders who feel the pain of Ijaw people not leaders who ”increase our pain, we need leaders who will create wealth for us not leaders who steal our common wealth, ijaw land needs leaders who will unite us not leaders who deploy the divide and rule tactics, we need leaders who will conspire against the enemies of ijaw nation not leaders who conspire against ijaw nation”
He noted that such leaders, rather than make the Ijaw pride to be eroded, will celebrate and promote it while serving the people positively with strength as new generation leaders.
He also advocated for leaders that will see the development of the people as paramount, ”we need leaders that will bring road to the innermost parts of ijaw land not leaders that will construct roads to their compounds, we need leaders that will industrialised ijaw land not leaders that will chase away foreign investors. Ijaw land needs leaders that will defend ijaw territory not leaders who sell the land.”
While calling for a revolution, the scholar noted that the only people that can drive such a revolution he describes as ”sacred” are the masses, he said if this is done, Ijaw nation will shine brightly again.
He Explained that ”revolution in this context is not about going violent or carrying weapons of destruction against bad leader. It is all about sensitising the masses to reject bad leaders and defend their rights at the appropriate time.”
He opined that convening a national conference for the Ijaw nation will not usher in the needed solution because according to him ”an Izon national conference will be controlled by these same leaders who will just hold talks and do nothing”. A moral revolution is imperative for good leadership and Ijaw progress. He insisted.
The scholar lamented that the ”society can’t be good in the hands of bad leaders celebrated by gratified lilliputians. Leaders who value shallow achievements more than what will please the masses, leaders who are led by sychopantic energies, leaders who are prisoners of parochialism, leaders who are afraid of truth and wisdom, leaders who defile and crumble history, leaders who are insensitive to the will and physchology of the jaded masses, leaders who wear the toga of decorated jesters, leaders who make a serious office unserious”.
He further described such people as ”leaders whose smile only illuminates their hearts and those of their friends, leaders who are led by bad spirits, leaders who growth hatred in the heart of the common man, leaders who dig dark holes for society to sink into dangerously , leaders who move society backward, leaders who turn light to darkness, leaders who fail to understand that leadership has a divine responsibility to bring joy to subjects”.
”Leaders who think laughably that they are natives of power, leaders who are symbols of moral decadence, leaders who are ideologically impotent.
He said that as the larger society ”mourns while they rule and lead” the ”pynagerics with crumbled dreams rejoice while they lead” adding that ”when a society is ruled by elephants with cursed brains and legs as tiny as those of a mosquito, it is bound to collapse in some ways.”
In his Opinion, ”Some leaders call themselves angels but they are just visible angles of doom, because according to him, at the point when they are entrusted with the position of leadership, ”they become deaf, dumb and insensitive to the problems yearnings and aspirations of the people they rule over” because they see leadership as dark business.
He challenged anyone who is ”a leader of a geopolitical space to begin to embark on self examination and rule to put smile in the heart and on the faces of subjects” and also learn from other ethnic nationalities who set the standards in national conferences, stating that ”they value their societies and it’s the inspiration for good leadership.”
He stated the time have come to begin a radical moral revolution by mobilising the willing masses against bad leaders some of whom were imposed on the people from party primaries to the election proper as that is the only way the wish of the people will prevail.
On the need for a national conference, again, he said ”Good leadership is a moral issue, national conference will educate us but its decisions will not be binding on anyone because it is not oath taking,
He submitted that ”the masses have a role to play in shaping and empowering good leaders, we all have history and the history will guide us in the selection of leaders. That’s how America and the western nation’s succeed. In Ijawland history is not used to select leaders. There are people who have done serious harm to Ijaw that are still celebrated leaders because we kill history.
”How can we elect or give leadership position to people who abandon projects they got for the development of ijawland? how can we see leadership in people who for selfish interest deny ijaw the right of self determination? How can we elect people who do not believe in the unity, peace and progress of ijaw nation by their previous actions and inactions?” He queried.
He advised the people to always employ history in the screening of people who occupy all positions of leadership

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