History has shown that great leaders worldwide have a common attribute: their readiness to risk everything to liberate the people they claim they love. Unfortunately, Mr. Peter Obi does not have such qualities and is not that kind of leader, and has failed this basic test of leadership. While the majority of Nigerians sink into deep starvation, sufferings, and anguish under the supervision of Mr. Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian president, Obi confines himself in the comfort of his home, engaging on social media for sympathy messages instead of stepping onto the streets to stand with the oppressed.
Evidence abounds, true leadership comes with a huge sacrifice. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela are men who earned the right to lead because they shouldered a heavy burden in a desperate effort to liberate their people. These men faced bullets, batons, and prison bars. They did not confine themselves to the comfort of their homes when the need to stand up for their people arose. They led movements with courage, risking everything for a change.
Nigeria’s political history has documented men who did not confine themselves to the comfort of their rooms during the time of struggle for change. Mr. Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian president, and Mr. Muhammadu Buhari, the immediate past Nigerian president, just to mention two, confronted the government. Specifically, in the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, Tinubu marched on the streets and identified with the people against petrol subsidy removal. He stood up, took the risks, and stepped on toes. That is what true opposition looks like.
Peter Obi, on the other hand, does not want to take such risks. He has shown he is not ready to carry the burden of inconvenience for the ordinary Nigerians he claims to represent. While a greater number of Nigerians are protesting against unbearable suffering and injustice from Tinubu administration, Obi prefers the comfort of social media statements rather than the reality of protests and physical solidarity with the people he claims he loves and working to bring a change.
It is important to remind Obi that leadership is not just about ambition; it is about sacrifice. He wants the crown without carrying the cross. He wants to be his country’s president without offending anyone or bleeding with the people. Such character disposition does not project him as the kind of leadership Nigeria desperately needs at this critical moment when radical change is needed. With the kind of reform that Nigeria needs, the country needs a brave leader, not one who whispers on social media from the comfort of his home while his supporters are suffering poverty and pain caused by bad government policies.
Peter Obi’s disposition at the time when his supporters needed him to show solidarity and support has proven that he does not want to inconvenience himself for a change that will result in people’s liberation. This clearly shows, he is not a courageous leader.
Disclaimer: This write-up does not in any way show my support for Tinubu’s government.
Audu Liberty Oseni
Director, Centre for Development Communication (CDC).