When we live for others

Some weeks ago, I watched in utter amazement, the grieving people of Thailand. They wore black clothes and openly cried and wept. They had lost their king and mourners in their thousands, lined the streets to watch the royal convoy carrying the body of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

I also read the moving tributes of mourners and that got me thinking. It was a practical devotion, appreciation and love for a leader and monarch who meant a lot to his people.
I decided to leave out other condolences from European and Asian royals, world leaders and the UN General Assembly and Security Council that stood in silent tribute because I am concerned with the honour at home.
It is important for me to state at the onset that King Adulyadej was neither faultless nor blameless. As a king, he must have stepped on toes. His reign, no doubt, positively affected the lives of many of his people and their generous public and private show of emotion validates this thinking.
The people of Thailand may not have the kind of problems Africans have but they are human beings like us. They are perceptive and discerning, so when they are treated well by their leaders, they react spontaneously.
I have read and witnessed wild jubilations that erupted in many African countries at the death or overthrow of an elected leader or a despot. This contrasts sharply with the Thailand experience where citizens showed genuine love to a departed leader even at the ripe age of 88 years. What this means is that in most countries in our continent, including Nigeria, those in public office hardly earn the support and love of those they lead. They are, for the large part, disconnected from the people.
Many people may have forgotten but some of us in politics today cannot easily forget the heroic and patriotic roles of Nigerians and even foreigners in the build-up to Nigeria’s return to democratic government in 1999. At that moment of grave national crisis, these characters played great roles. I still remember some of them in the independent media and civil society groups but sadly, nobody remembers or celebrates them today.
But we are still a country with a rich history. Like King Adulyadej of Thailand, many Nigerians remember our founding fathers with fond memories. I am afraid no Nigerian leader today can inspire that near cult followership, devotion and popularity of political actors of the First Republic.
This commitment is not in short supply among our people. Some Nigerians in their small corners are volunteering and working very hard for our country, even without government support. Many heroic feats by patriots in various spheres of life occur daily but are largely unrecorded. These exploits is the foundation for my hope.
I am happy that this national bravery is going places. One of such acts of heroism takes place every day here in Abuja. We are all witnesses to the laudable activism of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigners in the last two years or so.  These activists have remained resolute and true to their commitment to the return of over two hundred school girls who were abducted from their school in Chibok by Boko Haram. We have all seen in the group, a steady progress in strength, dedication and purpose even in the face of unwarranted insults, abuse and name-calling.
Nigeria has enormous challenges no doubt. We have earned more revenue than most African countries but this did not translate in better living conditions for the generality of our people. Unlike some countries in our continent, we are daily confronted with a myriad of manmade problems like nepotism, ineptitude, bigotry and religious particularity.
In our country today, people do not generally think highly of their political leaders like the Thai. So if we all agree that our leaders nowadays cannot inspire as much hope and devotion like our heroes past, then we must quickly get to work. Leaders must study and apply the principles of balance in leadership and followership which centres on the concept of power and responsibilities. In addition, our country has to evolve a leadership selection process for occupiers of public offices. This is the only way to prepare and sustain those who are qualified and ready to serve.
This is the challenge. And we must begin to live for others if we hope to make sense of our existence. In the words of Gina Marie Warswick, an American school teacher, “a life of service to others is the life which makes a difference, not a self-serving life of materialism, fanciful travel and fun”.

Lawani, former Deputy Governor of Benue State is an industrialist and philanthropist.