Ministerial Get Out!

By Dr jarlat Uche opara

Sometimes, power dresses itself in authority but strips itself naked in civility. What we witnessed recently where the FCT was visibly enraged, shaking with anger and quite verbose with imprecative words barking “Get out!” and calling a young naval officer a “fool” was not just a display of temper, but a public unmasking of arrogance clothed in office.

Leadership is not about shouting down others and trying to intimidate them. A minister, of all people, should embody restraint, decorum, and respect for the uniform, not trample on it in a fit of ego. In an unusual sense military training the navy officer stood calmly, respectfully, engaged him without sounding uncouth and uncivil.

What happened to the dignity of leadership? What happened to emotional intelligence, the soul of true power?

Public office is not a license to abuse others. It is rather a responsibility to inspire trust and confidence. The Minister’s behaviour was everything leadership should not be: uncouth, undisciplined, and unbecoming of the high office he occupies. If those who hold public trust cannot control their tongues, how can they control the affairs of the people?

The military teaches discipline; politics should teach civility. Unfortunately, when the two meet, we often see which one has truly learned.

The young naval officer may have been told to “Get out,” but truly, it is this brand of arrogance that needs to get out, out of our leadership space, out of our national character, out of our politics.

Power is not proven by shouting, it’s proven by composure. A man who can’t control his temper has no moral right to control a city. Sadly democracy has made what could be morally wrong and ethical offensive served on the plate of inhumanity sauced with words that ache and break hearts into shreds to be swallowed by a defensless subordinate lest he gets witch hunted and begins his early journey to retirement.

As many are hailing the young officer for standing up to the emperor Wike, others are pitying him for possible early retirement for speaking back to the minister who they rated above his principal. To this school of thought the young officer should be answering yes to all the uncouth words Wike was spewing from his mouth. Are you stupid? Yes sir! Are you are a fool? Yes sir? You are an idiot! Yes sir? Your father is a basdard! Yes sir. Thereafter he would scamper like a frightened dog with his tail inbetween its legs to report to his principal that Emperor, the conqueror and the lion Wike is there. It seems and sounds very cosmetic to me.

That one is a minister with all the possible raw power at their disposal does not mean that their subordinates should be treated like rags and talked to like those who have no value, no dignity and no sense of worth. As a subordinate one should have a say. The power to express oneself without being disrespectful shouldnt be muffled . We are no God. We are human who are are going to same destination of the grave to be used by ants as food.

Wike got it wrong in communication. He needs some tutorial on public speaking and communication. He should equally be told that life is transient and his time as the minister is tenured not eternal. If he could be this unbriddled with words with that young military officer with gun, one wonders what an ordeal his staff would be passing through with him. He needs to be tamed, his excesses very overbearing.

Jarlathuche@gmail.com