THE
ST
21
CENTURY STRONG MAN
Strong Men Vs Strong Institutions
Thank You for Listening…
My Homily
Situation Report
Unpack the Terms
Case Study
The Evolution of Strong Men
The 21st Century LEISA Model of Strong Leadership
The Call
WHAT DO YOU
THINK?
Situation Report
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Globalisation and technology has drastically changed the
shape of our world. It has affected the way we live our lives,
the way we define ourselves and our roles and the way
institutions operate.
Politics and social media now have an affair. Strong men in the
Middle East were sent packing after decades of oppression
and dictatorship. Will Gaddafi survive the Libya uprising?
The different continents are now next door neigbours in the
global village. Cross cultural barriers are dissolving, institutions
are united in the global world. Strong Institutions crumbled
under the wake of the economic meltdown and affected
several others.
THE EXIT OF A STRONG MAN
“AFRICA DOES NOT NEED STRONG MEN, THEY NEED STRONG
INSTITUTIONS.”
US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA MADE THIS PROFOUND STATEMENT IN ACCRA GHANA
Unpack the Terms
“Institutions are structures and mechanisms of social order and cooperation
governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human collectivity.
Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending
individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of
rules governing cooperative human behavior” (Wikipedia)
“Visionary companies are premier institutions… in their industries, widely
admired by their peers and having a long track record of making a significant
impact on the world around them. The key point is that a visionary company is
an organization“, not an individual or product. The quality of a nation is
determined by the qualities of the individuals that make up that nation- PULSE
What makes the difference?
4 Scenarios:
Questions arising:
How does one build strong institutions?
Are all strong institutions good?
Can strong institutions be built without strong men?
What has been Nigeria’s experience with strong leaders?
What about the win-win situation of having both strong
leaders and strong Institutions?
Weak men and weak
institutions
Weak men and strong
institutions
Strong men and weak
institutions
Strong men and strong
institutions
Case Study 1: Comatose Institutions
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The early post-independence era, federal and state governments wanted accelerated
industrialization of the economy, hence the setting up of industries and enterprises
without private capital. NITEL, NEPA, NICON, NAFCON, FAAN, NRC, refineries, brick
and clay industries, oil palm companies, etc., were are some of such governmentoperated enterprises?
In 1980, manufacturing contributed 14% to GDP; today it is less than 4%. One of the
vibrant manufacturing industries was the textile industry. At the peak of its production,
in the 80s, textile operations in Nigeria numbered up to 250 and provided jobs for
about 350,000 direct labour, exclusive of indirect employment. Now the industry is in a
freefall. Our market is dominated by imported goods despite the crackdown on
smuggling. Why, sir?”
He answered, “Beginning from the 1970s, following the oil boom, Nigeria got immersed
in easy oil money. Black Gold quickly replaced agriculture as the country’s mainstay.
Unfortunately, the oil boom misled us and we turned into a mono-economy, with crude
oil
Case Study II: Emergence of a Strong Woman
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Before the emergence of Prof. Dora Akunyili, as the Director General
of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), 80% of the medication sold in Nigeria was
adulterated: non-therapeutic at best and lethal, at worst. Some
drugs were filled with inert lactose or powdered chalk. In 1990,
over 600 children died after they were administered a painkiller
made with toxic ethylene glycol instead of propylene glycol. In
2003, proxyl-adrenaline led to the death of 3 children undergoing
surgery in the city of Enugu. The NAFDAC boss, herself, lost a
diabetic sister in 1998 to fake insulin. In 2008, the teething drug,
“My Pikin”, killed over a hundred infants.
Roll Call: Strong Men behind Strong Institutions
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We also need Good Institutions for while there have been good strong
men throughout history, there have also been bad strong institutions.
Every society is like a mirror that reflects the soul of its citizens. Truly,
they say a nation gets the kind of leaders it deserves; our leaders are
also products of our homes, schools and institutions!
So talking of strong men and strong institutions, the issue is whether
"strong men" operate within deeply embedded democratic,
transparent and accountable structures which in broad terms the
electorate perceives as acceptable. It took some brave men who
risked their lives and fortunes to found America. Men like Patrick
Henry, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
It took the strong President Abraham Lincoln to end slavery with the
“Emancipation Proclamation” during the civil war
What Kind of Strong Men?
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General Mobutu of Zaire,
President Eyadema of Togo
President Moi of Kenya
President Banda of Malawi
Emperor Bokassa of Central African Republic
Generals Babangida and Abacha of Nigeria
President Bongo of Gabon
Ft. Lt. Rawlings of Ghana
President Botha of South Africa
President Doe of Liberia
Colonel Muammar Ghadaffi of Libya
General Olusegun Obasanjo
Evolution of Men
In the
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st
21
Century
In the 21st Century we need strong men and strong institutions. On
one hand the strong men will build the institutions, and then the
institution will produce more strong men.
It is a win-win situation is where a strong leader operates alongside
strong Institutions each serving as checks and balances on the other as
envisaged by the founders of American democracy with its three tiers
of government.
As French philosopher Monet put it succinctly “Nothing is possible
without men but nothing can be lasting without institutions”
It took strong men to build those institutions.” Dr Arthur Kennedy
Being a strong man is all about making positive change is about
how to make a personal, directional, productive and effective
change that will eventually spread to our nation
st
21
Century: LEISA Model
The strength of a man will not be defined by charisma, character
and qualification alone, but by 5 major factors:
Leadership
Excellence
Innovation
Strategy
Adventure
Leadership
Everything rises and falls on the strength of leadership. We have many rulers but few leaders”
Leadership that affects the world is not always one of title but of attitude; it’s not an
attainment but an action; it is not a position but a perspective. You see this in the life of Christ,
and people like Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jnr., Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson
Mandela
—PULSE!
A Catholic nun from Albania left for Calcutta, India, to live among the poorest of the poor; she
gave them food, clothing, shelter, and the hope to live again; she became known globally as
Mother Theresa.
A black man said no to racism and discrimination of the blacks in America; that man was
Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid in South Africa; Mahatma
Gandhi envisioned a New India, and the Dalai Lama is one leader who ushered in waves of
change and hope in Tibet
High Definition Leadership
Robert Greenleaf in his book, Servant Leadership, said that the whole purpose of
leadership is service. This leadership style is what I call stewardship. The future players
are dealers in hope. They follow through with a strong sense of duty. When given a
responsibility in an office, they see it as an opportunity to serve and not an opportunity
to be served or an obligation to meet.
As we journey, we must break the preoccupation with self by locating our self-interest
within the larger interest. We must have the ability to establish leadership as power with
people and not over people. Be a person that genuinely helps others and when
people know that you are committed to their cause, they will repay with dedication.
Strong men have a course that they are passionate and compassionate about. What
is your course?
Excellence:
3 keys that will unlock your personal
excellence
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The will to win
The desire to succeed
The urge to reach your full
potential
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Will You go the mile after the extra?
Excellence is a state of being
exceptionally good in quality and
character.
Your current situation in life is the direct
result of your daily decisions to operate
inside or outside of the mediocre zone.
With any endeavour in life, if you want
to be successful, then you must make the
choices that lie beyond mediocrity
Excellence itself is a way of Life Not A
destination
Innovation
Leadership traditionally is based on personality, but in the 21st Century world it will be
based on rapid innovation.
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Innovation is the currency of the age, you don’t just think outside the box, you think away
from the box.
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Africa’s future belongs to entrepreneurs, sharing technology and innovation to increase
productivity.
 There is a desperate cry for revolution in the way we do things as a nation. Whether
entrepreneurship, economic, social or moral revolution, it starts somewhere; it starts with
you.
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The battle will not be won by men of will, but men of ideas.
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‘Mad Men’ Walking: Born or Made?
22
Uche Nworah (c) 2010. uchenworah@yahoo.com/ 08060983636
Mighty oaks have fallen in the wind but a blade of grass
can weather any storm.
As a given, it is not the strongest of armies that win but the
most strategic that understands that to win the war, you have
to choose your battle, your battlefield and the time of war.
Corporations are seeking people who will ask questions such
as: how can we not flat-line in a crisis? How can we do it
better and differently? What is the opportunity in this
problem? Why use vinegar to catch a few flies when you can
catch much more with honey? Why use gold when lead will
suffice? How can we burn our candle from one end but
achieve an effect at both ends? It all boils down to strategy
Strategy
Strategy
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When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem
appears like a nail. Our efficiency is determined by our
capacities. You must construct your bag of tools, hone your
skills, build your capacity. So when you fall seven times, you
can rise up eight times. But at the point of every rise, you
must introduce a more advanced technological strategy that
reflects the lesson from your previous challenges in life.
The same is applicable in scholarship as it is not the most
intelligent student that makes a first class but the most
strategic. In the corporate arena, it is not the biggest and
oldest companies that survived the recession but those who
evolved surviving and thriving strategies
Adventure: Are You Afraid of the unknown?
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Everything you want is on the other side of fear
—Anais Nin
The true spirit of Nigeria is not just from being
Nigerians. It is having true values and a zeal that is
consistent with high morality and principles. Consider
the likes of Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Gamaliel
Onosode, Christopher Kolade, Vincent Maduka,
Yomi Osibanjo, Pat Utomi, NgoziOkonjo-Iweala,
ObyEzekwesili, Joy Ogwu, ChimamandaAdichie,
Christopher
Kolade,
EmekaAnyaoku,
BisadeOlogunde, Toyosi Akerele, Ken Etete and
FelaDurotoye. These people have made us proud,
both at home and abroad. The future of Nigeria is
dependent on her vast youthful population with its
abundant talents and creativity. We are blessed
with adequate human and natural resources
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What do you read?
The Call
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Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has created
change.” Can we be those few committed ones?
Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday re-echoed the same
sentiments when he observed that: “As we celebrate, let us
remind ourselves that our work is far from complete. There
is more work to be done and we need new hands to carry
on.” He is the noblest symbol of an island of hope, not just
for South Africa and Africa but the world over
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The condition of the world we live in calling us to be strong men. I
believe, this is the time to bring about the creative demographical
revolution that we await.
It is a revolution by the young, from the young.
I believe that every problem has a solution, and that we are the
solution to Nigeria’s dilemma.
I believe this is to our advantage because we have age and time on
our side, including energy and exuberance to make this change. We
cannot afford to be weak, we cannot afford to sit on the fence
because doing that makes it possible for the system to change us
rather than us changing the system. As it is said, the greater the
potential for a thing to be good, so is its potential to be evil. If the
good strong men don’t rise up, the bad strong men will!
TEN VALUES OF A TRUE NIGERIAN
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Value One: I will make a positive impact on everyone I meet, everywhere I go, and in
everything I do.
Value Two: I will be a positive role model worthy of emulation.
Value Three: I will be a solution provider and not part of the problem.
Value Four: I will do the best I can do, particularly in the things I am naturally good at.
Value Five: I will do the right things at all times irrespective of who is doing the wrong
things.
Value Six: I will value time and make the best of it.
Value Seven: I will care and show that I care in word and action.
Value Eight: I will consciously build a great legacy starting today and everyday.
Value Nine: I will build a life of honour and dignity.
Value Ten: I will make my family, nation and creator proud; I will be somebody’s claim
to fame.
MERCI