Popularity and Capacity Not the Same.

By Ogiri John Ogiri 

Quite often, in our quest for credible leadership, we mistake popularity for capacity. Sometimes, our emotional attachment to an intending leader who is relatively popular, usually denies us the golden opportunity to scrutinise the individual and what he or she claims to represent. What are his intentions and interests? What are his credentials? What has he done before? What can he do? These are obvious questions we need to ask. However, we often do not interrogate these variables in the individual. We think his popularity is enough to help him or her win but forget to also think and remember that only capacity can keep him in power for long.

When it comes to the issue of leadership, there is a huge difference between popularity and capacity. A leader can be popular without being capable. If he has the capacity, popularity will follow but capacity won't follow popularity.

Our leadership predicament both as a people and as a country stems from our inability to carefully separate popularity from capacity and situate them in their contexts. For instance, former president Buhari was popular but the question about whether or not he was competent and capable can be answered by the legacies of division, insecurity, nepotism and high level corruption that he bequeathed to Nigerians after eight years in government. Nigeria is yet to recover from the trauma of that disaster.

It is hoped that the next election should give us another opportunity to reexamine our choices, embracing competence, capacity and character over popularity. Nigeria needs a leader with a common sense and an active conscience.

© Ogiri John Ogiri.