Vox Populi, Vox Dei, translated into English language from Latin, simply means, the voice of the people is the voice God.
For too long, Nigerians have been conditioned into thinking that leadership can only emanate from those in the corridors of political power— government.
So, majority of the populace assume that without government taking the initiative, progressive actions to improve their living conditions cannot be undertaken for the good of the individuals in particular, and the nation in general.
Hence, for instance, more often than not, until the national budget is passed annually, the economy of our country suffers a paralysis of sort, as literally everyone depends on the bureaucracy for sustenance.
In the developed climes, government serves only as a catalyst for entrepreneurship and plays the role of providing level playing field as well as the guarantor of security and safety for all members of society to thrive.
As evidence that leadership is not only from those elected into public office, but positive change can be made by individuals and as a group, six outstanding Nigerian firms and individuals who have been leading from the streets by making positive impact on society were singled out for the conferment of the Leading From The Streets awards. The Nigerians who merited the honor are:
Prof. Wole Soyinka: He was leading from the streets when he was jailed for 22 months by the military because of an article he wrote and published in the mass media, where he stood against the looming civil war. Our dear professor was incarcerated for speaking against the war that eventually consumed an estimated one million souls over three years (1967-1970), during which his liberty was taken away from him.
It was no surprise that his outstanding leadership, dedication to humanity, and professional expertise did not go unnoticed internationally. Hence, in 1986, he became the Nobel laureate for literature. Prof. Soyinka could have leveraged his popularity to enter politics, as did fellow teacher and former President Nwalimu Julius Nyerere of Tanzania who started as a teacher activist. However, he did not choose that path to leadership. Instead, he continued leading from the streets. For that reason, he qualifies for the Leading From The Streets award.
Col. Dangiwa Umar: He was also leading from the streets after leaving the military while still immensely popular for his disciplined leadership style and high moral standards. Remarkably, he resisted the allure of joining politics, unlike his bosses, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who became presidents of Nigeria after their military service. Instead, he chose to stay out of government, leveraging his influence to shape policies that promote unity among Nigeria’s multiple ethnic nationalities.
One recent occasion, when he did so was when he wrote an open letter to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to resist the temptation driven by primordial ethno-religious sentiments to delay or fail to appoint Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem as the President of the Court of Appeal, where she was the next highest jurist in the hierarchy after the retirement of the incumbent.
Following Col. Umar’s open letter, President Buhari confirmed the appointment of Justice Dongban-Mensem, a female Christian from Plateau State as Appeal Court president. That intervention, and several others in the interest of the masses have earned Col. Umar the Leading From The Streets award.
Barrister Allen Onyema: The chairman and CEO of Air Peace is renowned for rescuing Nigerians abroad during times of crisis or war, resulting in their being stranded in a strange land.
He organized rescue missions with his airplanes to Libya, Sudan, and South Africa during internal crises in these countries, including during xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. He repeated the same feat by flying his aircraft to Ukraine to rescue Nigerians trapped when Russia invaded the country.
These individuals exemplify leadership through their actions and dedication to society, proving that impactful leadership transcends public office.
To crown it all, he recently lowered the price of air tickets to the UK by offering his flights at substantially reduced rates compared to the exorbitant amounts previously charged by foreign airlines monopolizing the routes. Another profound gesture was the rebate on ticket costs that Air Peace offers to Nigerian students to encourage them to return home during holidays.
In his reckoning, the high cost of tickets had compelled some not to return home for many years. It is remarkable that the last time one heard of ticket rebates for students was in the days of Nigeria Airways. Barrister Onyema did all these philanthropic gestures out of love for our country, without being in the corridors of political power. As such, he qualifies to be recognized as one of the Nigerians Leading From The Streets.
Chief Mike Adenuga, with his Globacom mobile telecommunications services, revolutionized GSM telephone costs by introducing per-second billing instead of the per-minute template operated by MTN and Econet (now Airtel) since the commencement of the service in Nigeria in 2000. With the per-minute billing system, Nigerians were burdened by the high cost of making GSM calls, as they had to pay for minutes even if their calls lasted only seconds, which was an unfair practice.
After initial setbacks in obtaining the licence to operate due to technical hitches created by bureaucracy, Chief Adenuga’s Globacom, the only indigenous GSM service provider, entered the telecommunications space with revolutionary per-second pricing, to the relief of Nigerians who could not be rescued from the exploitation by the regulatory authority, the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC).
Chief Adenuga’s Glo also reduced the cost of SIM card packs from N15,000 to N5,000. Thus, without being in the corridors of power but from the streets, Chief Mike Adenuga has positively impacted the lives of Nigerians. Therefore, as the owner of Globacom, he merits being identified as someone Leading From The Streets and is receiving the award.
Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, a lawyer, human rights advocate, and one-time President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has been leading from the streets. He began doing so when he led the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) in pushing for the military to relinquish their hold on political power, which began with the 1966 coup that toppled the First Republic.
Despite personal risks to himself and fellow advocates, they dared the military, got arrested, and were consequently bludgeoned. However, they persisted until the men and women in khaki, who were usurpers of political power, were compelled to relinquish political power and retreat to their barracks. Dr. Agbakoba made all those sacrifices selflessly in the interest of the critical mass of Nigerians who were craving democratic rule, which they had been denied by the military juntas.
Due to his immense popularity after successfully helping to end military rule, he could have ventured into politics to justifiably benefit from his hard work, as other ex-NBA presidents have done by possibly vying for the governorship of his state. Perhaps he might have succeeded in becoming the governor of Anambra State, as Akeredolu (of blessed memory) did in Ondo State after serving as NBA president. But he did not; instead, he preferred to continue Leading From The Streets, hence he is receiving the award.
