2023: MY PRESIDENT AND YOUR PRESIDENT
Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
The fate of the world depends quite significantly on the family as the basic unit and indeed the nucleus of human society – Folorunso Alakija.
That was the first statement that dignified the foreward to my book; Money, Sex and Communication… The Tripod of A successful Marriage.
Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, prides herself more as a wife and a mother than wealth for which our society will rather celebrate her for! This undisputed richest woman in Nigeria with an estimated worth of over $1billion by Forbes as of 2020, at a time rose to become the richest woman in Africa and in the world. At that, she unrepentantly wants to be known for things of substance. Family life for her comes first, an individual who is useless to his or her family will be of no use to community and country. There are persons whose leadership over their families are questionable, yet got elected into public office, the miracle expected from such have become the miseries of our moment. Those who are irresponsible at family role have nothing to add to nation building. In the wisdom of the creator, the world is just a family. The Adam’s family, an individual without this world view in the context of Nigeria will be a Fulani, Ibibio, Nupe, Egba or at best, a northerner or southerner. A leader who will see all back in loins of Adam is most desirable at this time of our life.
Contrast in context of our country, of wealth and worth is the focus of this writing, while in search of who our President should be, persons of worth, having what it takes to preside over the nation should be called out not necessarily for the contest, no one should be forced into taking up such challenge if they are not interested. But at least, to point at their exemplary leadership so that those who are in the race can appreciate that we know what we are looking for without giving any of them undue advantage as a result of making example of them.
There are two basic intoxicants in life, whose control on the human mind can be very difficult to overcome except by the most disciplined of minds; power and wealth, both are at the beck and call of Folorunso Alakija.
“Ohun meji ni Yoruba ni maa gun eniyan, agbara ati ola”, it is a general belief among the Yorubas that two forces rules men, power and wealth. We must therefore watch out for persons who have control over this two.
My President and your President must be a personality given to meritocracy; this of course I can vouch for in Mrs Folorunso Alakija, a woman I have never met but accepted to write the foreward to my book on the merit of the content. All that was needed was a mail and the script of the book and the job was done.
The public presentation of the book she declined to attend because she didn’t believe money is meant to be thrown around at every excuse. Money for her must be worked for, favour can’t be ruled out, but it is better encountered in the place of work than loathing around for freebies. The damage to our value system for free money we obviously need a President who can help us repair, is one reason certain individuals must not be considered at all, we can’t afford a further damage to a society where teenagers now believe riches are from rituals.
A wealthy, yet humble and simplistic wife of her husband. I wouldn’t know if she has brassieres laced with diamonds, but her modesty suggest otherwise. The richest woman in Nigeria and second most powerful woman in Africa prefers to be celebrated for other things of worth and value aside money.
2023 should be for a three in one President; one, an individual who has grown personal wealth out of Government, on this, our madam dressmaker has an intimidating record of starting small and growing big only few can come close to.
Two, a private sector player with proven record for meritocracy, I am of course a witness of her value on this, with the engagement that put her pen to my book. I think I should say a big thank you to her, since I have never had the opportunity to say so publicly aside on the acknowledgement page of the book.
Three; a lover of humanity with systemic system in place for humanitarian service in the most dignifying way possible, not persons who take delight at gathering people at their gates to humiliate them in the name of humanitarian gesture.
I see my President and yours in Alakija, it is left to her to give it directly to Nigeria by coming into the contest or advisedly, by putting her hands to the plough with us as we search for someone like her.
