Can your followers depend on what you say?

On the 28th of February, 2017, for almost four hours, I stood before the workforce of a Local Government in the City of Lagos to speak on the clout and influence of integrity within the context of leadership. It was an eye opening training program that is helping the local government to better position itself for towering productivity in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

Every great leader—who was once on earth was either a man or woman of integrity. It is absolutely impossible to become a great leader without esteeming the principle of integrity. What made Mahatma Gandhi of India tick? He was a rare man of integrity.

I passed this life changing story to those under the sound of my voice on the 28th of February, 2017 and I am passing on the same story to you today. This is it: A mother once brought her child to him, asking him to tell the young boy not to eat sugar, because it was not good for his diet or his developing teeth. Gandhi replied, “I cannot tell him that. But you may bring him back in a month.” The mother was very angry as Gandhi moved on, brushing her aside. She had traveled some distance, and had expected the mighty leader to support her parenting. She had little recourse, so she left for home. A month later, she returned, not knowing what to expect. The great Gandhi took the small child’s hands into his own, knelt before him, and tenderly communicated, “Do not eat sugar, my child. It is not good for you.” Then he embraced him and returned the boy to his mother. The mother, grateful but perplexed, queried, “Why didn’t you say that a month ago?” “Well,” said Gandhi, “a month ago, I was still eating sugar.” What power in example! This is why millions of people trusted him, learned from him and counted themselves as his followers, not because of money and title!

Millions of people followed Mahatma Gandhi, not because of suit, shoes, money, cars and aircraft, but they followed him and turned him to a school because of his rock-solid character. There was no gap between what Mahatma said and did. And as an effect of working integrity out in shoe-leather, without a gun and bullet, he was able to defeat the most powerful empire in those days, liberating his people from the claws of British colonialism.

On the 1st of March, 2017, I read from one of the national dailies that the Federal Government is planning to enforce the citizenry to only purchase made in Nigeria. How do I know that the policy ain’t going to work? It is because those in the corridors of power do not buy made in Nigeria. They consistently do not have their vacation in Nigeria. Their children are not schooling in Nigeria. They go for their medical checks abroad. It is no news that the president of Nigeria has been vacationing abroad (and being taken care of medically) since January, 2017. True leaders do not lead their nations through what they say, but by means of what they do!

True leaders demonstrate integrity by example and their word is always their bond. You cannot separate who they are from what they say. They do not speak carelessly. They do not ask their followers to do what they are not doing. Only hypocritical leaders do ask their followers to do what they are not doing. Are you gifted to lead? Then you need to be conscious of what I am sharing with you today. It will make a great leader out of you!

Leaders who tell their followers not to ‘eat sugar’ while they are eating sugar are common, but leaders who have the strength of character to quit ‘eating sugar’ before telling their followers not to eat it are very scarce and Nigeria is in a dire need of them. This is what political leaders in Africa are indirectly (consistently) communicating to their followers: Do as I say, not as I do. And this is the major reason why we are where we are today.

This is the question I have come to ask every leader in Nigeria today: Can your followers depend on what you say? Can they go to bed with their eyes closed when you speak, knowing full well that you would certainly do what you say? Are you preaching what you are not practicing? Are you romancing corruption while you are telling your followers to distance themselves from it? Are you smoking cigarette while telling your children not to smoke it?

I quite appreciate the political will of the ongoing administration to fight corruption, but it will remain undefeated as long as the headquarters of corruption is the corridors of power. Corruption cannot be defeated in the streets when it is walking freely in the corridors of power. Each time Nigerians hear that our political leaders say that they are going to defeat corruption; they would laugh, because they can see it in the corridors of power being well fed by those who tell them to hate it. Remember, you cannot speak against corruption while supporting it with the life you live and expect to defeat it.

There was a professor who taught his students that it was wrong to cry, no matter what happened to them in life. One day, the students found the professor crying in his office. They asked him, “Sir, but you taught us that it is not good to cry, no matter what happens…, why are you now crying in your office.” The professor said and I quote: “This one is different, because the person who died was my only son.” Remember, he taught them that it was not good to cry, no matter what happened. He lost the trust of his students on that day.

Lastly, the day your followers stop depending on what you say is the day you stop being in leadership, though you may be occupying a leadership position. For the umpteenth time, can your followers depend on what you say?

See you where great leaders are found!