Africa’s leadership problem is a question of rebellion, not ignorance

The late Nelson Mandela. Leaders from around the world spoke and wrote articles and comments, all extolling the virtues of this great son of Africa. So then, it follows that if they know what it means to be a great leader and they are not themselves that way, then there is a problem. It means they are rebellious. They have willingly chosen not to act on the truth. PHOTO/FILE 

In Summary

• All described Madiba as a great leader. So then, it follows that if they know what it means to be a great leader and they are not themselves that way, then there is a problem. It means they are rebellious. They have willingly chosen not to act on the truth.

By WALE AKINYEMI
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This week, the world stood still for a true son of Africa: Nelson Mandela.

Never before in the history of the modern world has any human being commanded such honour in life and even in death.

Leaders from around the world spoke and wrote articles and comments, all extolling the virtues of this great son of Africa. But then, I have more questions than answers. So today, I sincerely hope to get some answers.

First, it seems like all who have made comments seem to know what great leadership is about.

At least they all described Madiba as a great leader.

So then, it follows that if they know what it means to be a great leader and they are not themselves that way, then there is a problem.

It means they are rebellious. They have willingly chosen not to act on the truth.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

They talk about love and forgiveness as some of the key attributes of Madiba’s greatness, and yet they spit venom on their enemies.

And please note that the enemies have not locked them up for 27 years. The enemies simply disagreed with them on some issues.

They talk about Madiba’s humility, and yet they have zero tolerance for divergent views.

They see themselves as a different breed of super human people, who merely tolerate breathing the same air as the rest.

I believe you can now see my problem. For years, we have blamed Africa’s backwardness on leadership, but the week has showed that it is a deeper problem.

It is a problem of rebellion. Now a lot of things begin to make sense. It now makes sense why the commercial driver will not stop at a red light or at a stop sign.

It now makes sense why a student will cheat to pass his exam. It now makes sense why the civil servant needs a financial incentive in order to do what he gets paid to do. Now it makes sense how the rebellious seem to get on in life very well while the law abiding person of integrity is perceived as the slow fool.

We are operating in an ecosystem of rebellion. Now it all makes sense.

Madiba has showed us in his death that we are not led by ignorant people. We are led by brilliant rebellious people, and so the system of rebellion has been perfected across the continent.

But in all this, there is some great news.

RIDING ON INTEGRITY

In a world where rebellion is the order, we need to swim against the tide to differentiate ourselves.

This means riding on integrity. When I say integrity, it is not just about not stealing from your employer. It’s more than that.

There are three dimensions of integrity that I believe if we adapt going forward, we can stand out and make a difference.

The first dimension is integrity of product. When I go to KFC or Galitos, I know exactly what the food will taste like.

Now if I am outside the country and I don’t know which restaurant I should go, if I see any of the logos of the brands I am used to in Kenya, I will be very happy because I know that the chicken will taste like the one in Nairobi.

That is integrity of product. Are you consistently delivering whatever it is you deliver with excellence? Are you dependable?

Second is the integrity of service. This is when you are ready to bend over backwards to ensure that you deliver the best.

I remember once when I was flying British Airways from Abuja to London.

They said there was a problem with the incoming flight and it was going to be delayed for five hours. They checked all of us into the Hilton.

When the flight finally came, they gave the option of spending the night at the Hilton or going with the flight.

This is integrity of service. It was very unlike another airline I took from Tanzania to Kenya.

STANDING OUT

After waiting for three hours beyond the scheduled departure time, an official came to tell us that they were sorry the flight was being delayed. They gave no further information. What’s that?

Final is the integrity of word. Let your yes or no be genuine. believe it or not, people prefer to do business with people they trust.

A lot of people are in a hurry to make money. Make a name first and the name will make money over and over again.

So, the best way we can stand up against the rebellion of our continent is to dare to stand out as case studies of integrity.