By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, a contributing analyst to USAfricaonline.com, first African-owned, US-based professional newspaper published on the Internet and USAfrica magazine, Houston
It is no news that Nigeria is experiencing what is probably its worse flood crisis in many years. Homes are submerged, millions of people are displaced and the human fatalities are in the hundreds. While world leaders, including King Charles III has sent in their messages of solidarity to Nigerians through President Buhari, I have not read or heard anywhere that the President visited any of the States affected by this disaster nor has there been any special intervention by the Federal Government to alleviate the crisis. And just as if the President’s unsurprising apathy is not bad enough, the President departed to South Korea without as much as a national broadcast to let us know that he is aware of these tragic occurrences and he doesn’t care that Nigerians languish in different grades of parlour occasioned by the flood disaster.
No leader who can make the slightest pretence to being responsible would keep away or relax in his office while different parts of his country is submerged in flood, with over a hundred people already dead and millions displaced. But, we have got tired of talking about Buhari’s nonchalance and vapidness as a leader and while we can’t wait to see his back, we mustn’t fail to analyse those who have presented themselves to succeed him and ensure that we do not for any reason elect another sepulchral Commander-in-Chief to replace the outgoing morbidly insensate one.
With about 25 of the 36 States of the country currently battling different stages of flooding and the remaining States experiencing disruptions in basic supplies due to the flooding, there couldn’t have been a better time to peep into the hearts of the key aspirants seeking to become our next President. It would amount to a very dangerous experiment if we wait to make our judgements of a leader’s character and compassionate attributes when they have taken office.
We read all the time about how Presidents and other political leaders would suspend their schedules in order to personally visit places where tragic incidents like flooding, hurricane, earthquakes or mass shootings took place. They also make good financial and logistic interventions, but these personal visits are the greatest demonstration of empathy to the victims of such disasters and not whatever amount of money they donate. Giving people money without showing genuine compassion for their suffering could be tantamount to telling them that you do not really care about them, and that like some hungry and stray dogs, you could throw them some waste bones and move on.
It is instructive and not unexpected that among all the presidential candidates, it is only Peter Obi of the Labour Party who has shown genuine responsibility and care towards the victims of flooding across different States of Nigeria.
By suspending his campaign, he was sending a strong message to the flood victims that he was not coming to them for campaign, but coming to show genuine compassion and empathy to them over their predicament. He rode on the same kind of boats as these displaced Nigerians ride and visited them at the places where they are housed. He didn’t make a show of the donations he made to them, but gave them things that he is white sure they needed. Peter Obi showed these flood victims that he is one of them, that he is not some kind of superhuman, but someone like them, who could be affected by the same disaster that has affected these people.
On the other hand, both Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar went about their campaign activities as if nothing happened. While about a hundred Nigerians lie freshly cold and dead from flood, millions forced out of their homes and billions of Naira lost to flooding by many people, these APC and PDP presidential candidates appear unconcerned and are clearly unconnected with these suffering Nigerians.
While Tinubu donated 100 Million Naira to one of the States, Atiku Abubakar is said to have donated 50 Million Naira. These monies are vulnerable to looting and diversion. Instead of visiting these victims like Peter Obi has being doing, this duo believes that it is another opportunity to show off with their ill-gotten wealth.
While Peter Obi has shown genuine compassion and a strong connection with the victims of the flooding, Atiku and Tinubu have confirmed the mentality of an average Nigerian politician that the ordinary Nigerian is a “cheap commodity that can be bought off by the highest bidder.” The choice to make their donations to the flood victims instead of visiting them to show true solidarity with them like Peter Obi is doing, betrays a most disgusting disregard for the Nigerian masses, which is unfortunately, the true mindset of most Nigerian political leaders. It is that promise, that hope and that assurance that Peter Obi represents a departure from such character and such mindset that has seen most Nigerians of goodwill rooting for him.
Empathy is so invaluable that had Peter Obi just visited those flood victims without making any financial donations, his Intervention would have still stood out and towered high and above any trillions of Naira that Tinubu or Atiku might throw to these victims.
Leadership empathy motivates patriotism, just like it increases productivity among employees in the corporate world. According to Silke Muenster of the Project Management Institute (PMI); “Empathy, which was once considered a ‘nice to have’, now needs to be woven into corporate culture. Not all leaders are at ease sharing personal anecdotes or their emotions. But by shifting tone and focus and showing vulnerability, leaders who practice empathy will increase employee engagement, drive, inclusion and innovation in the workforce, and foster company loyalty.”
