Granted, there is a correlation between academic excellence/training and effective representation. This is not unconnected to the fact that education is the bedrock of development. It is the platform for the attainment of any height imaginable. Several studies have shown that learning shapes leadership, disciplines and equips a leader for effective representation.
Gone are the days when electorate didn’t take into consideration the academic status of their leaders. This was when communities picked any individual they felt was sociable to represent them, not minding how sound the person is. Leadership at that time was not measured on one’s intellectual capacity and mental development, rather on sociality. The end result has always been ineffective representation. All such leader would do was nothing but “I concur”. No debate and negotiations that would end in “dragging” development to those who gave such mandate. Truth is, you can’t offer beyond what you have. Succinctly put, you cannot give what you don’t have. Hence, a leader who has been “schooled” effectively cannot be bereft of good ideas to represent the people effectively. If you doubt me, watch the proceedings during plenary at state and national assemblies, you will never contemplate of voting an illiterate into power. I am not talking about having a certificate, which anybody can have anyhow, but my emphasis is on knowing what you studied. This is the beauty of scholarship.
That is why I still stand on my earlier position on the candidacy of Barr. Otobong Bob. At some points in life, one needs to do away with sentiments and reason rationally. Barr. Otobong Bob is a man with intimidating credentials. His academic records command respect. Those who know him can attest to this. After completion of his primary and secondary school studies in Nigeria, he proceeded to the United Kingdom where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in law at the prestigious University of Buckingham in flying colours. He didn’t stop there. He went ahead to complete a masters degree in International Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation at University of Warwick, one of the top10 universities in the United Kingdom. His love for education did not allow him to rest. He engaged in professional courses and programmes at highly reputable institutions such as Columbia University (Ivy League) and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, both in New York. The list is endless. That is why I repeatedly submit that Barr. Bob has been wired and groomed for leadership.
However, only a poor man would claim to be comfortable in a thatched house than live in a zinc house, as he assumes that the latter is often hot. But that is a gimmick that makes him comfortable in his poor state and ignorance. Such thought gives a false comfort in defence of the status quo. To say the least, it is an adaptation for coping with inferiority complex. Today, electorates are more informed and enlightened. They need leaders who are vested in knowledge and experience. They demand leaders who know their left from right; those who won’t be cowed into silence by the grammatical arsenals of other lawmakers. And as it is, Barr. Otobong Bob fits perfectly into this demand. He has what it takes to represent Nsit Ubium people effectively at the state House of Assembly in 2019.
Effective representation is beyond speaking grammar. It is more than saying “I concur”. It is beyond sitting on a customised seat with one’s name boldly inscribed on it.
Representation involves boldness. One has to be vocal and outspoken. He must know the art of speaking. Great leaders in the world are known by their oratory and ability to speak logically. People like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jnr, Barack Obama, Mahatma Ghandi, and the rest, are still being celebrated today for their rhetorics. And this skill can only be honed through education.
Without mincing words, Barr. Otobong Bob is not found wanting in this regard. Out of all the aspirants vying for Nsit Ubium State Constituency, Barr. Otobong Bob possesses more academic credentials. Not only in the acquisition of the credentials, he is learned, and I stand to be challenged.
He is ready to take up this mandate after many years of preparation.
I have no doubt in his abilities for effective representation.
Let there be a paradigm shift in our choice of who represent us. The world is fast evolving, our mindsets must evolved as well. We need an evolving leader, one who is developing alongside the development in the world. That leader is, Barr. Otobong Bob.
George Joe writes…
