UDOM EMMANUEL AND THE LEADERSHIP CALL

By Aniekeme Finbarr " A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be". - Rosalynn Carter It is trite and well established by great minds of ages that the loudest problem of humanity is that of leadership despite the technological, scientific, and economic advancements in the global context. Among such great minds was Confucius. Confucius (551-479 BC) was a moral philosopher who lived in an age when China was characterized by great socio- political unrest and crass corruption. The mighty Chou dynasty (1122- 256 BC) had degenerated into a system of loosely bound feudal states that were engaged in continuous and interminable warfare, much to the distress of the common people who remained at the mercy of the aristocracy. The great wise one postulated that it is " the way of the leader", his traits, disposition and good conscience that can liberate the people from any socio- political quagmire. Confucianism and its ideal essence of the way of the leader have persisted and laid an ethical basis for political, socio-economic culture of modern-day China. And like in Confucius' time, quality leadership in climes like ours has continued to deteriorate faster than potatoes in an airtight bag. Those age-long, fundamental and hallowed traits in leaders have become so rare, scarce and in most cases completely extinct. Little wonder why, it evokes a sense of unutterable joy when one identifies these traits in a 21st century, modern day Nigerian politician. My inspiration to deliver this intellectual offering stems from the exemplary leadership qualities of Mr Emmanuel in managing the peculiar, unusually large and dynamic finance machinery in Nigeria and beyond. His credentials are already public knowledge and there for all to appreciate. His present day contributions are also quite commendable. The Godswill Akpabio administration as everyone knows is a robust, upwardly mobile and performance driven government. An administration that has put in stellar performance to inscribe indelible imprimaturs in the hitterto dour Akwa Ibom landscape. An administration that has fumigated the stench odour of infrastructural rot and decay that endured in the state prior to the coming of the uncommon transformer. An administration with an unflinching commitment to deliver on electoral promises and even do more. And to fit into the fast lane, anger- inspired approach to governance, one must possess lots of characteristics. Top on the list is humility. Mr Emmanuel as a loyal servant in the Akpabio administration has displayed rare humility in first accepting the appointment to become SSG without blinking, as risky as the idea sounds. And on the job, early testimonies have emerged of his calm and open disposition to learn and lead. The doors to his office and home have remained open to lofty ideas, brilliant concepts, suggestions and criticisms from every angle of the populace. Everyone who has come in contact with him has had cause to testify to his listening disposition and penchant to offer help and assistance with an infectious smile. He exerts a rare sense of dedication, commitment and even benevolence aimed at crystallizing the principal policy goals of the Dr. Godswill Akpabio. Mr Udom Emmanuel is a study in servant leadership. And like Zig Ziggler says “The ultimate measure of a man is not the number of servants that he has but the number of people that he serves”. His seeming unpopularity before his appointment may not be unconnected with it. He has always quietly assisted people within his capacity and often times, these acts do not attract much publicity. And to crown his humble stance, with all sense of modesty, he situates the drive and the passion that undergirds the obvious changes altering the finance landscape as the work of God almighty and those of “HIS BOSS” and believes whatever success that has been recorded so far in the course of his career is attributable to the support of his superiors and co-workers and in the case of SSG, to Governor Akpabio, the principal purveyor of the vision to revamp the system. Another remarkable trait of Mr Umanah is his strenght of character. Like his boss, Chief Godswill Akpabio, CON, he remains unweavered and resolute in the face of pressure, cheap blackmail and falsehood from the foes of government and elements who are immuned to accepting good things. He knows this terrain could be rough and unfriendly. His uncommon maturity in approaching issues is remarkable and this has attracted a firm trust from the people to the Akpabio administration. General Norman Schwarzkopf, the army general in charge of the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s, thought so much of character that he said: “Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without strategy.” Because he was a Marine sergeant in the 1960s, this assertion amazes me since generals spend much of their time dealing with strategy. General Schwarzkopf, above all understands that the troops have to trust their leaders. And in Udom Emmanuel and Chief Akpabio's administration, the people have trusted. Udom Emmanuel's drive to succeed speaks volumes of his desire to make it happen in whatever he sets his eyes on, his gargantuan and towering achievements construct a sharp contrast with his early background of birth in the then rural Ukanafun Local Government Area where the father was teaching and a secondary school education at Community Secondary School, Ikot Akpan Eshiet in Onna Local Government Area. It, however, attest to the fact that with discipline and hard-work, one can be a success story irrespective of one’s place of birth and early life. The University of Lagos Accounting graduate started his working career with Price Water House before joining Diamond Bank Plc. But his career as a corporate strategist blossomed with Zenith Bank, where he through dint of hardwork navigated his way to the top echelon of the bank as an executive director. He has served in the said capacity since 2006. That is a man success knows by name. I have been specially impressed by these fruits of leadership and am left without a choice than to conclude that if Aniekan Umanah could deliver excellently in this capacity, then he could do more if entrusted with higher responsibilities. He is a savvy , purpose-driven, value-maximizing, and thoroughbred professional whose driving force hinges on the fundamental need to make a difference. His strides has had to wield no magic wand other than his commitment to excellence which derives its finer stuff from hard work, dedication, and recourse to endless prayers. This is what Nigeria needs at times like this. Courage, Tenacity, and Patience. Having the courage to stand alone, the tenacity to not succumb to pressure, and the patience to keep fighting until you win the day--and sometimes being able to do all three at the same time--is something you will have to develop if you want to be a true and successful leader. Competent leadership is the first and most important thing any nation that wants to start the process of reconstruction must get right. There is no single route to rebuilding a nation and every route a nation elects will ultimately succeed as long as the nation gets its leadership right. We must realize as a country that, as the saying goes, “A skunk stinks from the head down,”. We must get it right with leadership. And the only way to identify such leadership is to locate persons like Udom Emmanuel who have done well in their little corners.