Enduring Legacies

Horace, a Roman poet once boasted that his poetry will outlive man made monuments. He wrote in Latin “exegimonumentum aere Perennuius”. Meaning, I have made a monument more lasting than the bronze. (An enduring legacy). The implication of his claim is that his work is engraved in the hearts of men.
This is what happens to every good deed of man to his society, material or intellectual. In the political sphere, Former Senate President late Chuba Okadigbo in his reflection on the affairs in his state in the Second Republic spoke about governance, when he called out on the former Governor of his state saying, “no meaningful projects and no quotable quotes”.
This kind of observation should ordinarily arouse a prognosis of governance failure in Nigeria. Why do leaders fail to make reasonable impacts in government?
What are the parameters to measure the success of a leader in governance? Late Senator Chuba Okadigbo had summarized it in the two ideas of that phrase, “No meaningful projects, No quotable quotes”. The implication is that a leader must accomplish the primary reason for going into social contract with his people state, nation or constituency.
A leader must justify the mandate given to him by his people. That mandate is to provide the good things of life such as visible social infrastructure and the right environment for business and economic growth. A good leader must also be a motivator, an intellectual whose words can bring hope and add value to human civilization. This is why many leaders write books and other intellectual writs.
Nelson Mandela is a leading light in this leadership enterprise. Bill Clinton, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Peter Odili and a host of other past and present leaders including, former Governor Celestine Omehia of Rivers State.
Almost always, leaders write books after the expiration of their tenure as part of their accomplishments in office.
A leader is a builder of hope. Broadcasts and speeches from leaders, governors and other political office holders inspire hope, they are quotable quotes that can be engraved in the hearts of men.
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg declaration on Freedom and Liberty in 1863 has remained a sublime quote from generation to generation. This declaration has continued to be an inspiration for democratic values the world over.
The Quotes on Marble on the back page of The Tide Newspapers ,as well as Words on Marble on RSTV, Catalogue quotable quotes by Governor Nyesom Wike. These quotes are capable of reminding Rivers people of their civic obligations and responsibilities of government to the people. The quotes can inspire hope which can conquer desperation. Governor Wike was recently quoted as saying “politics is a game of interest and you must make sure everybody is fully involved. Here the governor is preaching inclusiveness in governance and participation in politics.
Therefore, good political leaders must provide good social infrastructure to the people and be a pathfinder for positive values, through words and actions. Indeed these values can remain enduring legacies, if properly placed and articulated. Calvin Coolidge once wrote “No person was ever honoured for what he received. Honour has been the reward for what he gave.”
Society recognizes concrete achievements by persons. Only those who put the interest of society first, above personal gains, qualify as worthy recipients of honours.
Indeed like Horace the prolific roman poet, there are many who have given enduring legacies to society. These include writers like Soyinka, Achebe, Gabriel Okara, Elechi Amadi and Others.
What writers give to society is more enduring than a bronze statue.
The values that they give are more penetrating than political dispensations that bring pain and penury to the people.
The problem with the society of today is the declining culture of reading; it is indeed very difficult to articulate the factors that are responsible for the decline in reading among the population especially among young people.
However, there is the need for those who desire to lead to embark on reading and learning the art of leadership.
No wonder Aristotle contented that only philosopher kings should be given the opportunity to govern society. The days When people unleash themselves on the rest of society with little learning and no capacity to lead is over.
The Nigerian Political class has failed the nation in their choice of leaders, because the process is usually flawed. The electoral process is that which is controlled by the conspiracy of a few who put pecuniary considerations and affluence over the capacity to govern a multi-ethnic, multi-religious vast country like Nigeria. Knowledge is power. The earlier those who lead begin to make efforts at gaining from the knowledge bank that abound in books the better.
You cannot give what you do not posses: reading and learning from other cultures from the literatures that abound within in different fields of human endeavour will broaden the horizon of leaders. Innovations come from social consciousness. Benefitting intellectual enterprises is key to progressive leadership. only leaders who follow the trend in human development and the great expanse of growth in human culture make their nations great in future.
There should be effort among leaders to ensure that they cultivate intellectual enterprise of reading and writing as well as encourage the reading and writing culture. Professor Chinua Achebe described Literature as knowledge bank and the writer as a teacher. Great leaders like Churchill, Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela left legacy of good leadership and their monuments are there, but their enduring legacies are their writings on good governance and leadership, which current leaders need to draw examples.

By: Bon Woke