Natasha, Kogi Central And Leadership Responsibilities, By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

I humbly request our esteemed readers to allow the use of local proverbs and wise sayings to illustrate some points that need to be made in this piece, from the point of view of the fact that the subject matter, suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is representing them in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
To start with, it is a saying in Ebira language that vị ọzà a kwetẹ zi ịrẹyị nị meaning, literally that person should stoop low to tackle trouble. In other words, a wise person is expected to take great care before jumping into trouble, which have the semblance of the Bob Marley’s “he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.”
Another wise saying in the local parlance is: ókókòrò vana hị́ eku ẹchịchị ka ọnụ́rà òtòotó, meaning that the whistle is calling eku echichi (strong masquerade) a born fool (which the masquerade may mistake to be a praise).
In summarizing the two compelling Ebira wise sayings above, one would conclude that the whistlers that are urging suspended Senator Natasha to fight the system are gaining from her financially. Such whistlers appear determined not to seize asking her to fight on, even as she stands atop the mountain (instead of stooping to possibly conquer).
It is wrong for those who are blowing dangerous whistle for her to sị buruburu (fight on with all the strength) to equate her attitude to that of an average Ebira person. Of course, Ebira people, both men and women, are known to be courageous, strong and dogged fighters, especially when they are being cheated or molested, but most of them believe in anyá yị ịnịnẹ da jị atẹ́ ọvụ̂ vẹhẹ nị (though the blood is inside the body but white saliva is spitted out), meaning that one can continue to interact with one’s enemy while being careful to avoid more clashes. To be sure, an average Ebira person is respectful and humble when dealing with leadership and constituted authority: his major trademark is calmness in a normal circumstance, and can easily mend to fit into new circumstance.

……Natasha…
It is quite obvious, from the comportment of our dear senator so far that she is being controlled by the forces from within that are too powerful for her to resist: the forces that are gaining tremendously from her in terms of financial gratifications.
But curiously, aside from being an Ebira woman, brought up in Ebiraland, Natasha is a confirmed lawyer; a Barrister and by and large, a leader.
It is expected that she would understand the nuances of leadership which she is currently part of. In leadership, there is a concept called give and take. A good leader doesn’t aspire to win all the time because he or she should know that the other leader in the neighborhood also wants to win. And of course, leadership in Nigerian political context is all about putting cards in the right places, and be ready always to shift grounds in order to accommodate the developing realities. It is about what one gets for one’s self and more importantly, the people one represents anywhere. Which brings about clearly, the idea of the political creche: “there are permanent interests and no permanent enemies.”
The point must be stressed that Natasha is in the Senate not to represent herself but the interests, needs, and aspirations of all communities in Kogi Central. She is there to serve as the voice of the people at state and national levels.
Her duty, like her peers in the hallow chamber of the national assembly, is to initiate, support and advocate for laws, policies and programmes that can benefit Kogi Central constituents in the areas of education, health, roads, employment, etc, as well as to monitor effective implementation of such laws.
She is there to ensure fair distribution of projects and opportunities across all areas in the senatorial district without bias and to promote unity among Ebira people and other groups within Kogi Central, irrespective of class, gender and even clan.
Natasha was voted into the Senate to also attract infrastructural development such as water, electricity, roads, markets, schools, health centres and to support empowerment programmes for youth, women and vulnerable groups.
Above all, she is there to use her unique position as the first female to have been voted into the Senate from the senatorial area, and one of the very infinitesimal female senators, to promote peace, mediate communal disputes and foster security within the area.
Indeed, she ought to have imbibed the spirit of working with other leaders, irrespective of political affiliations, traditional leaders and security agencies to maintain harmony in Kogi Central senatorial district.
Natasha should have been accountable to the electorate for all actions and projects, not necessarily in financial matters but in the ways she conducts the affairs of her privileged office. She should have initiated the program of engaging in regular town hall meetings and consultations as means to move to every next level. In such town hall interactive sessions, she would provide regular feedback to the constituents.
Of course, no one denies the fact that Natasha has been forthcoming in the areas of mentorship and human capital development through the empowerment of the upcoming leaders and professionals as well as facilitating scholarships, skills acquisition and job opportunities for youths, but all such things were being done from her personal pulse, perhaps to gain pure personal popularity.
What she is doing in essence therefore is philanthropy, which is quite commendable and encouraging. However, such philanthropic activities, by what appears to be her inadequacy in the ideal leadership responsibilities, have not properly linked to her senatorial position, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Even if she returns to the Senate eventually, she really needs to align to the proper representative function, which, in democratic environment, should include lobbying, cultivating rapport with fellow senators, at least, a few of them plus of course, fellow female senators; placing personal interests in subordination to the interests of the district she is representing; participating fully in the internal working of the Senate and learning to ignore the idea of entitlement.
Natasha needs to aim at raising standards for the future politicians that aspire to represent the Senatorial District, through not just philanthropic activities which is individually based, but through the exemplary attitude she exhibits towards attracting good things to the people of the district. She should ignore those who are beating the drum of war and hailing her to si buruburu. She should try to do away with social media warriors whose interest in her does not go beyond the facade but injures the interests of Kogi Central Senatorial District badly.
Confrontation in whichever form and by whatever means, right or wrong, cannot benefit the people of the district in the long run, but has the potentiality of leading to frustration and emptiness, not for her but for her constituents.
As Ebira proverb says: ịsị́ ụ̀mẹ̀nẹ̀ zụ́ dọ́ ẹngwụ́kata ẹyịzụ́ dọ ọ, meaning that what can be achieved through peace cannot be achieved through war.
Constantly fighting, thinking or being made to think that it is fastest way to achieve progress or to get attention of the hailers and social media warriors, has no long term positive result. And when the chips are down, the hailers and social media warriors would disappear, leaving badly bruised scars in the communities.

Yusuf Ozi-Usman, nipr, is a veteran journalist/editor, who had covered many political intrigues in Nigeria, including the political drama that led to the impeachment, by the State House of Assembly, dominated by the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), of late Alhaji Balarabe Musa as Governor of Kaduna State elected on the platform the People Redemption Part (PRP) between 1979 and 1981.