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| Training Legal Aid group on sexual abuse campaign |
As part of the Nigerian
National Youth Service program, you’re obligated to a weekly meeting where you
and your cohort discuss and implement initiatives that impact the community. I was posted to one
called ‘Legal Aid’, somehow clumped in with lawyers. I am not the only non-lawyer,
in fact there are quite a few of us, and since a group can reach up to a hundred people, it necessitates a leadership team called the 'Excos'. As a residing exco member, almost every week for the past several months, I’ve stood
before the CDS (Community Development
Service) group, addressing them on various matters.
It’s common
practice to avoid attending meetings and especially taking on leadership
positions because it means saying goodbye to all attempts of clandestine
operations during your service year because now you’re in the limelight and the
officials even know you by name, which also means when you're absent, you could
possibly be queried. At my first CDS meeting, the then excos were
deliberating a matter then solicited input from the rest of us. My
attempt to keep my mouth sealed at all cost was decimated when someone’s
illogical suggestion was quickly becoming policy. My vow of silence was broken
when I followed protocol by standing and speaking for literally no more than 10
seconds, giving my rebuttal. Well, apparently that was all they
needed. Next thing I know I’m occupying the seat of the Vice President following a brief election. Wait a minute…what just happened?! I was suppose to stay
underground while pursuing projects with Blessing O. Foundation, but alas, I was unveiled. Soon I came to see the plausible integration of the group's mandate and that of the foundation. It was beyond feasible; a beautiful orchestration. It was this group I later trained
to infiltrate the schools in the town to educate students on child
sexual abuse. The foundation’s campaign objectives would be achieved using
this medium, and people were on board, or so I presumed.
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| Mom and Legal Aid educating students on child abuse during morning assembly |
I’ve been privileged to lead some eclectic groups over the
years, but this was my first experience leading Nigerian peers. After my first
few meetings, I concluded that they are the most challenging. Few months into
it, I’m changing my mind because I realized it was my paradigm that needed shifting, not necessarily theirs. Initially
I wanted to title this post- ‘Motivating the unmotivated’, but I was humbled by an epiphany
as I reread my first draft.
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| A corp member presenting to a school at morning assembly |
I wanted to start this post by saying, motivating the
unmotivated is perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of leadership. I sympathize with David in the Bible when the men under his authority were disgruntled,
discouraged, depressed, and the list goes on and on. Talk about pulling teeth. This
service year I’ve swallowed the bitter pill of trying to envision a people who just
don’t want to be there. I can’t blame them for this attitude because I, too,
tried to escape this obligation, plus the youth service prosaic activities and
administration can be very frustrating, giving one more justification of doing the absolute minimal possible.
Another aspect of my leadership challenge was their facial expressions. I think we, Africans, are known for our
flamboyant expressions, or lack thereof. At times it seems the expression of happiness can be concealed behind
the expression of dullness, and I don’t really understand this, but that’s beside the
point. When I stand before my fellow corpers to address them, I stare in the
face of blank stares, and maybe this is normal? Honestly it threw me off
internally the first few times, until I began hearing what people thought and said
of me behind my back, thankfully, mostly encouraging things. It sure didn’t
show in their expressions. As I type this I'm simultaneously aware of my need for affirmation, especially when uncertainty knocks at your
gate because I endeavored into an unknown territory.
To end this post more appropriately, I will share my epiphany- leaning on people’s affirmation as a source for
relevancy is building a house on quick sand (because let’s be honest- stamps of approval dashed out in form of facial expressions or words of affirmation is a form of
validation). This isn't necessarily a negative ideology, but if one cannot stand on conviction alone when addressing a people or
taking action, the resistance, be it reality or perceived, will knock one down
eventually. Conviction is the common thread that wove William Wilberforce and Dr.
MLK together, a century apart. Conviction is critical and perhaps one of the
fundamental ‘make or break’ of rising leaders.
Last weekend I attended my first Yoruba wedding (to my
recollection) in Nigeria’s ancient Yoruba city named Ibadan, a land where the
whites were very much present back in the day. I was there about 48 hours and
hardly saw anything substantial enough to give an accurate observation, so the
ensuing words are mostly a ‘first glimpse’ experience. I hope to visit this
city again to see the sites and really talk to the people. The city was truly
ancient, and now I wish I had pictures of some of its structures so you’d
witness the eye opening stagnation in development in some areas. I imagine the
white man coming back in 2016, and with jaws ajar, exclaiming, “Wow! These
people haven’t touched a single thing since we left”. Perhaps an exaggeration,
but I bet some parts really haven’t been touched. 
