By Uloh Williamz
Leadership involves three basic qualities: character, conviction, and competence (cf. Bekerly, 2008).
A person of character is one who would “do justice and love mercy.”
Character is needed in every calling, but is particularly crucial to
leadership.
For people vested with power are prone to abuse it and hurt
others and the cause they represent. Also, a true leader is one whom
people follow willingly because they believe he can be trusted to “do
justice and love mercy.”
Not many, however, would follow one who
has no direction, no matter how trustworthy he is. A leader not only
needs to know where he is going, he must also have the conviction that
this is where he should be leading his people.
A conviction is a
deep-seated belief that enables one to weather the toughest storm. The
deepest conviction is that which springs from faith in God.
For unless
one believes deeply that it is God who has called him to lead the people
to where they are going, his “conviction” is not a belief that he would
die for.
Needless to add, a leader also needs to know how to
lead the people to where they should be going. He thus needs to have the
relevant competence.
Different types of leadership, such as leadership
in the army as opposed to leadership in Governance, require different
sets of skills. Since competence is related to one's talents, one's
calling in leadership is usually in line with one's innate abilities.
And since these abilities still need to be honed through training and
experience, leadership development covers this leadership quality as
well.
The life of Joseph as recounted in the Holy bible embodies
leadership development. When Joseph was seventeen years old God revealed
to him that he would one day be a ruler, which later turned out to be
the Prime Minister of Egypt.
But when he shared this with his family,
even his father rebuked him for being so presumptuous. His older
brothers, who were already jealous of him because of the blatant
favoritism of their father towards him, hated him even more.
Joseph's becoming the Prime Minister of Egypt was part of God's plan to
bring the whole family into a “foreign land” .
For this plan to be
accomplished, God had to do three things: prepare Joseph for the
position; place him there; get the family to immigrate to Egypt.
(Borrowed: Clinton, 1988, Carlson,1999 & walke, 2001). Let me
believe we already have an idea of the rest of the story.
With a
view to unravel my point here, the term “Destiny” is purely a mystery
whose definition and explanation remains dicey, difficult, and
monotonous as no one in spite of level of learning could gain the true
decipher of these conspicuous word except God Almighty who is the sole
designer.
The young handsome, vibrant, and captivating Aniefiok
Omen Bassey came as a treasure about (4 decades) ago through a
thoroughly disciplined and humble background, tracing his genealogy to
Okossi village in the famous Urue- Offong / Oruko LGA, Akwa Ibom State.
As a son of well-trained, God-fearing Teachers, he had good Education
background from his Kindergarten to the advance level. He attended the
prestigious Technical College, Oyubia and briefly Ubodung Community
School, Oruko, all in Oron Nation.
Thereafter, he proceeded to
Unversity of Uyo and the Nigerian Law School where he obtained
(LLB’Hons.’ and BL) respectively. He is a trained and certified Media
Practitioner who speaks as much as he can write.
Apart from exhibiting those dignified qualities above, Omen Bassey is seemly self-comported, disciplined, humble, morally sound , God- fearing, and for all intent of purposes, he is an embodiment of the proverbial virtuous men in the biblical history.
This articulable Legal
luminary and media colossus began his leadership career at the grass
root. Apart from occupying several positions during his Secondary
School days, the very first I could capture here is when he was elected
as Secretary General of the defunct Eyuloto Youth Association (EYA) now
Eyuloto Progressive Youth Association ( EPYA).
This actually took place
in my village where his family spent good number of years. He left his
tenure then with unbeatable and indelible track record that history
cannot take for granted.
As diligent student of the prestigious
University of Uyo, Omen Bassey was committed to various skillful
leadership responsibilities where his contemporaries felt incompetent to
accept as a result of serious tension in the University during his
days; He was never panicked.
The most outlandish of the positions he
occupied in the University is the Executive President (Elected),
National Association Of Urue-offong/Oruko Student (NAOUS) worldwide, an
apex student body in the area
.
.
Apart from publishing the
maiden Students Magazine (THE CLARION) who’s launching attracted all and
sundry within and outside Oro Nation, his administration was very rosy,
eventful, and productive.
As a matter of truth and sincerity, his
legacy has not been beaten hittato as far as Student activism is taken
into due cognizance
.
.
As the adage says “A child who wash his
hands clean is free to wine and dine with kings”, Omen is one of the
very few young men in Urueoffong/ Oruko who is highly respected, best-
rated and above all, well embraced by Elders of high profile and proven
integrity.
He has served several past chairmen of the Local Government
in persons of: Elder OKpoyo Eifit, Victor Mkpubre, Okon Tom Osung to
capture a few.
On the basis of his hard work, humility,
integrity, perseverance and doggedness, he was recommended for higher
positions of responsibility.
He is currently the Publicity Secretary in
the central Executive of the prestigious ‘ ORO UNION’ founded over one
hundred years ago and the Secretary General ( ORON THINK TANK).
As a passionate and visionary legend with unquenchable penchant for
service to humanity, Omen Bassey has gone wide in business and
entrepreneurial Establishment ( THE MASTER’S TOUCH) with over 300
employees within and outside Akwa Ibon State couple with various charity
and life touching program he is running for Students, disables, Orphans
and Widows.
Given the above joyous symphony of intellectualism, integrity, and honour, Omen Bassey is not only a legend for leadership responsibilities at the grass root but a potential material for global issues of political and moral discourse.
Sometimes in the history of great Africa, and indeed the colonial
reign, the Blacks were under serious siege of slavery. They face series
of oppression, discrimination, molestation, and delusions. Many were
left beaten, smitten, battered, shattered, groaning and agonizing.
To get Africa out of the servitude it was going through, God had to raise ‘Charismatic’ and ‘Aggressive’ leaders of that time in the likes of Gandhi, Martin Luther (jnr), Ken Saro Wiwa, and Nelson Mandela who rose and say ” know, Africa must be free”. They fought ‘Tooth and Nail’ and today we are enjoying the legacies of this great Iconic Figures who pledge their life and family for us to live on.
In time like this, where Urue Offong/Oruko people and indeed Oro Nation is in serious tragedy of Exclusion, Relegation, Antagonism, and Extreme Poverty, we need firm, adept and engrossed leaders who are unmolested in content and character to gradually move us from the shackles of obscurity to the pinnacle of Glory.
Progress and change is
stemmed from ideology and ideology is a product of man. It takes a man
with an unfathomable leadership prowess to midwife ideology into change
and not the orchestration of change without instrumental backing.
Hence, ‘GoodOmen2019’ as the name implies here operationally connotes
(Character for Good Governance). He is solely a product of progressive
change and we can states with unwavering confidence that he will set a
pace for others to follow as the forthcoming General Election rings
bell.
We are set to clinch a deal!
Our course has been sign on a dotted line!
We have decided to make an avowed intent!
We are commissioned to explore all avenues to actualize our dream!
GOD BLESS URUEOFFONG/ORUKO!
GOD BLESS ORO!
GOD BLESS ORO!
No comments: