Strategic Leadership: A Necessity for Political Office Holder
The governor of Ondo State Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has said that, strategic leadership is a necessity for a political office holder and that “the character of political leadership is shaped, mainly, by contending centrifugal and centripetal forces, striving for dominance, in a political economy encumbered with issues of development’’. He made this remark recently when he delivered a lecture entitled ‘Strategic Leadership: My Political Experience’ to the participants of course 26 National Defence College (NDC) Nigeria. The NDC is the highest strategic military institution in Nigeria and sub Saharan region.
He further said that, the nature of politics in a socio-economic space gives an historical hint on the contending forces in the polity. Similarly, he analyzed that one’s political leadership must also reflect the state of the socio-cultural and economic development of the political terrain. In his lecture to the participants, he asserted that, any action of leadership devoid of characteristic of an objective leader should be construed as dubious. He emphasized that, a leader must, be able to understand the intricacies of governance and appreciate the enormity of the task with which he is saddled. He added that a leader must be responsive, proactive, strong-willed, compassionate and must be knowledgeable and willing to adopt a style of governance in consonance with current realities. He buttressed that, a good leader must endeavour to understand his people and the environment with a view to formulating and adopting policies that are beneficial to the people. He also added that a leader should be courageous to confront, headlong, all matters with combustible potentials and must possess appreciable knowledge of the political economy of his environment.
Additionally, he said a political leader must be transparent and open minded in all his dealings with his people. He must spend his moments thinking of solutions to the myriad of problems confronting the populace. He must be able to sense real danger and proffer means of averting it. He therefore warned that no responsible leader should seek to manipulate the people for parochial purposes. He further advised politicians not to use politics as an avenue for primitive self-aggrandizement.
In another development, the Governor of Ondo State applauded the Commandant NDC, Rear admiral Adeniyi Osinowo for his strategic leadership style and also for maintaining the serene environment of the College which he rated as one of the best military establishments in terms of infrastructural development.
The Commandant in his remarks thanked the governor for the opportunity he availed the college in honouring the invitation and also commended the governor for his erudite lecture. He disclosed that as a strategic leader one must always show restraint, at moments of extreme provocation in order to endear followership.
