‘Extra! Extra! Elections are coming!’ I hear a newspaper man singing in my imagination ‘Our fates would be decided soon! Read all about it!’ Different people have asked me over a period of time who I would vote for. ‘Buhari, Ribadu, or GEJ?’ they would ask and I just look blankly at them. The simple reason for my impassive stance is that I am very much dissatisfied with the state of things as many youths are. Notwithstanding we all still have to make a choice. Now, to make an informed choice, you have to know what your problem is or what you want and then list out all the options available to you (and not to America). You can then match your list of available options to your want list and see which of the options best meet your desires. This process reminds of a system a friend of mine proposed to me for choosing a husband. She asked me to list everything I want in husband from most crucial to the most trivial characteristic. The next step was to take my list to God in prayer and then compare with what I had available. It was an interesting exercise. So now I sit wondering what I really want in a leader. I am not thinking about whether I can manage what is available or whether I have no options really but about the true shepherd I want leading us in this country.
So, in my fantasy I am thinking that I want a leader who has a vision for Nigeria. Not Obasanjo’s vision or something that looks like an afterthought but his own well-thought out and pruned vision, a vision that we all can share as a people. I want a man who sees the blue prints and knows every blue line in the white background because he penned it down. I want a man (or woman in the nearest future) whose mind is attuned to a life of service who will put the people first instead of spending most of his time lining his pockets with gold, gold that reeks of blood and sufferings of the people of the delta. I shall name him ‘Esperanza’ which means hope in Spanish.
Esperanza is a person of almost flawless character. His charisma puts the likes of Bill Clinton and Obama at the back of the class. He never shies away from Public debates and when he steps up to the podium to defend what he has to offer, he would make us weep with joy. Esperanza is courageous and would defend the truth at any cost. He has a penchant for being focused on things that make the country better instead of wasting time defending his position and crushing unwanted enemies. He understands the eccentricity of the Nigerian situation; he has a true grasp of what it takes to lead a country with over 150 million people with diverse cultures and religion and will treat all with equity and equality. He can adapt to situations, he is compassionate as well as tough in the battle. Esperanza would not succumb to the whims of god-fatherism nor run about lining the pockets of his aides and fellow comrades so that he can stay in power or so that his wrong-doings would not be exposed. He would certainly not publicly or privately praise evil doers or prison convicts and would not be seen as weak. He went to school to study the art of diplomacy and has respect for God.
Esperanza is the man who will choose his team wisely because of what they can offer the country and not because it’s a party code thing. That is the man that would make me smile every time his name is called because he knows how to ‘flip the lid’ of my country. Need I mention that integrity, hard work, wisdom are amongst his core values.
We have never experienced his rule before. If we had, we would have held on to him. Power failure, bad roads, poor educational system, corruption would have been a thing of the past, ‘Abi?’ I say to myself. We would have a productive workforce in a system where the environment is enabled. Young kids, when asked what good governance is, would say ‘What President Esperanza is doing is defined as good governance.’
Now that I have done this, I will compare with what is available and pick one. What more can I say? When the day of election comes, I will walk to the polling boot with my poker face, I will show neither exasperation nor frustration and I will ‘press my hand’. You can do the same if you so desire.
