There are some indices the youth can use as self-examination tools to know what is in their hearts even before they get into power. Below are some of the indices adapted for this article;
– If you usually put more sugar and cream in your tea when in a hotel than you do at home – you are likely to be corrupt.
– If you use more tissue in a public washroom than you do at home – you are a potential thief if given opportunity.
– If you serve yourself more food that you can finish just because someone else is footing the bill – you are greedy and will use public funds to enrich yourself.
– If you are more relaxed and can talk for a longer time because you are using another’s phone and airtime and not yours – then you are likely to waste public resources and convert them to personal uses – you would be a thief.
– If you leave lights and other electricity appliances on because you are given estimated bill by PHCN and not prepaid meter – you will put your interest above others and national interests, you will steal public funds and will not care for the masses if it does not favour or pay you, and will not cut wastages in public matters.
– If you usually jump queues – you have potential for abusing office if given a powerful position.
– If you are more concerned about knowing someone’s surname rather than first name – you are likely to be a tribal bigot. It’s even worse when someone tells you their name and then you ask, “Which tribe is that?”
– If you usually overlap while in traffic jam or have no regard for traffic lights, then you would easily embezzle public funds if you’re given a position at a public office since you hate regulations.
– If you think and consider people based on religious affiliations, rather than on merits – you are not fit to lead, because you will deprive qualified people of rights because of your religious sentiments and prejudice, and will rather allow others suffer so long they do not share your religious beliefs.
– If you cannot fight for and defend others of other faiths when you are in apposition to because they do not share your faith – you are not human and a religious bigot and would rather allow or/and start a religious war than allow others to take up good and better position than people of your faith.
– If you channel waste or dirty water from your compound to a neighbour’s compound rather than managing it, you are ill-mannered and wicked – you will abuse your position when/if given the opportunity.
– If you can walk past a running public tap without turning it off – then you cannot be trusted with public funds and resources – you will waste them.
– If your neighbour’s child is in danger or going to be in danger without doing something to avert the remove the danger – that is wickedness and you cannot lead the masses, because you will not help them, which is what leadership is all about.
If you look at this post and wonder whether it was really necessary to talk about these issues; then you are very dishonest and you would easily cover up ills in the society for your own benefit.
Let us try to be people of character and integrity wherever we find ourselves. Remember, ‘INTEGRITY’ is who we are when no one else is watching or seeing us! As my late grandmother would say, “Everyone is humble when poor, wait till they have small change to see who they really are.”
Can you be trusted with real power and position? Even you may not be able to answer that question. But an easier one, “How well are you handling the little influence and power you currently wield?”
God bless Nigeria.
God bless us, too.
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