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Saturday, March 17, 2018

The Man who will be our Next Governor: The Philosophical Lens. Part 1 - By Isiaka Kehinde

 Competence should be qualification for authority. The ruler should be he who has peculiar ability to fulfill that function. - Plato.

Incidentally, those people whose names crest the list of aspirants for the governorship position under PDP in Oyo state are all familiar to me like duck to water. They are all my brothers and leaders. And truth be told,  this is one time that my emotional intelligence can not suffice to narrow down my selective disposition. However,  I need no crystal ball to know that not all of them have what it takes to lead the state out of its present statis position, hence, their best, saying some of them, may not be good enough. I kid you not, if we fail in our search, we are all going to be victims. 

It may not be as clear as bright day devoid of wild south wind to point out who the next governor will be, let's leave that to Providence. However, it is rational to identify those who can only end their aspiration inside the comfort of their living  rooms. The saying by Eugone Wares that "fortune favours who dares" does not apply in politics. It is a matter of self-interest to some people. Can you blame them? Self interest, as Eric Beinhocker, the author of "Origin of wealth" says, "is every individual's inalienable right". Thank God that in democracy, self interest not backed by people's nod, is a forlorn hope . 

Foremost, we need to jettison sentiments and put on our thinking caps and in the words of President Trump "think big, dream bigger". As he aptly said "we would no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action. The time for empty talk is over".

We, to get the desired result, must act like platonic realists, who don't just accept anything that has not proved itself or that was merely thrust upon them. To them, the truth of  the statement of the form of  XYZ  can hold only, if we can prove X, prove Y, and prove Z. 

A state is a reflection of the nature of  individuals that it is made of. We don't demand just a prince that is so anointed by a larger than life authority-speaking, political "king". We need a prince who is shrewd enough to have his own mind working full blast unaided. That's the moral  of opening this piece with that memorable quote by Plato.

On the other hand, We demand a level playing field, for the aspirants to show us what they have up their sleeves. As the great Boethius captures it "do not look for violets in purple meadows when fields are blasted by winter winds". The ground must be flat without any banana peels.

We need a man who is only in politics to find his passion who has what in theology of existentialism is called "a deep and abiding commitment of the heart". The era of settling for what is available instead of what is desirable is gone for good, using   Ike Odimegu's voice .

We need a man who is a master of himself, who is not burdened by fears and desires.  As a sage says, "ravenous greed would devour everything and then discover other wants"  .

Integrity matters in our operations.  Without integrity, nothing else matters says Allan Simpson. A leader who in moral value judgement stands like a rock should Top our preference.

The final word and most germane - is he a man of the people? Here, we should place people's interests above party. This is the theory of common perspective. Elections, according to Abraham Lincoln belong to the people. It is their decision. 

What matters are marketability, reliability  and sellability value of whoever ultimately clinch party ticket. People, (the silent majority) not only party leaders determine  elections. Do you have anyone in mind?  Please argue with facts and not friction.

On a final note, Thomas Leslie Jones says that "equation of truth when in the context of communication amongst minds is very complex". The points in this piece represent my personal opinion without being sophistical. If you disagree, you are entitled to form your own opinion.

Watch out for part 2.
Enjoy your weekend folks.

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