The Book Nigeria Leaders Must Read (part 1) – by Frank Ofili

In 1998, John Calvin Maxwell, author, speaker, pastor and leadership consultant, committed to writing, his thoughts on leadership. The result was the book he titled “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”.

The 231-page book is a distillation of timeless principles for effective leadership, with examples of Maxwell’s own leadership learning experience garnered over many years in various positions. The bestselling book is a compendium of leadership principles, a classic that can only be considered a reading ecstasy. The author takes the reader through a lecture on expectations of a true leader and the laws and guides through making leadership decisions.

Unfortunately, however, Maxwell never reckoned with countries like Nigeria who would throw mud in his face and rubbish extant paradigms that work excellently in other climes. Maxwell should have taken a leadership study trip to Nigeria before theorizing what he called the irrefutable laws of leadership. Had he done so, he would have gained useful insights, be better informed and perhaps come up with something else that is suitable for us as Nigerians, as Africans.

But need I blame the author? Nigeria has never been on world leadership map aside make a dubious claim to Africa and Black race’s front runner. There is of course no gainsaying the fact that leadership has been the single most important misfortune this country has suffered and continues to suffer. Everything we need to be a great country is here, except leadership of course.

But that is not to say Nigeria is not blessed with people who could have been, or could be, great leaders. A country that boasts of over 200 million people within its borders alone (minus those in Diaspora) cannot be said to be an empty vessel. The problem really is in getting our priorities right on what constitutes our national interest and going about it in a sincere and patriotic manner.

Anyway sha (all porn intended), some of Maxwell’s theories are here juxtaposed with our recent leadership experience in Nigeria. I can only restate the (now) familiar phrase “we will get there”. Read on.

1, The Law of the Lid

Your leadership is like a lid or a ceiling on your organization, group or team. Your organization, group, team or business will not rise beyond the level your leadership allows. That is why when something is not going right with an organization, its Leadership or Management is always the first to be fired. In 2009, when it became obvious that something was wrong with the banking industry in Nigeria as a whole, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) quickly moved against the Board and Management of the operators in the industry – the banks. The mind-boggling revelation of the wheeling and dealings in banks at that time is today instructive, although some would argue that the CBN clamp-down was politically motivated.

Maxwell should have taken a leadership study trip to Nigeria before theorizing what he called the irrefutable laws of leadership.

The principle also holds true in the political arena – never mind that in Nigeria we are wont to do things differently. In other climes, if a particular government department, ministry or agency is not doing well, its leader becomes the first casualty. Reverse is the case in Nigeria. A notable example happened during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan (2010–2015), with regards to governance and national security challenges.

During Jonathan’s tenure, Nigeria faced a dramatic escalation of Boko Haram insurgency and widespread corruption scandals such as the fuel subsidy fraud and the $20 billion NNPC unremitted funds controversy. Many observers argued that the administration was slow to act decisively, with weak coordination among ministries and agencies. Several competent technocrats were in government (e.g., Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Akinwumi Adesina), yet the overall performance of the government was undermined by leadership indecision, poor communication, and lack of strategic direction.

Also, during late President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, Nigeria entered two recessions (2016 and 2020). The government’s foreign exchange policy, heavy reliance on oil, and inconsistent fiscal direction led to capital flight, inflation, and currency instability. Key ministries like Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) often appeared to lack coordination. Policy decisions were sometimes contradictory or delayed due to Buhari’s inability to coordinate, communicate, and inspire coherent action. Personally considered transparent though, Buhari’s hands-off management style and slow decision-making limited the effectiveness of even capable subordinates like Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and some reform-minded ministers like Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and Festus Keyamo. On the national security front, despite Buhari’s military background and campaign promise to end Boko Haram and banditry, insecurity expanded under his regime spreading from the Northeast to much of the North-Central and Northwest. The activities of the killer herdsmen also became widespread. Multiple security agencies operated with poor coordination, and the President was often criticized for retaining underperforming service chiefs for years. Clearly, a strong leader would have raised the capacity and morale of the security institutions, removing the lid on their performance. In Buhari’s case, his reluctance to act decisively in terms of removing non-performing security chiefs negatively impacted national security effectiveness. His slow to action also affected his anti-corruption drive. He came to office with a strong anti-corruption image, yet his administration was later plagued by scandals involving top officials of his government (e.g., the Accountant-General Ahmed Idris’s N109 billion fraud case.

Similarly, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration instituted major reforms (removal of fuel subsidy and liberalizing the foreign-exchange market), yet for many Nigerians the “lid” appears very low. Inflation has soared, the national currency, the Naira, has depreciated sharply, many citizens report increased suffering. Despite these reforms, the leadership capacity to translate reforms into improved living standards for the people has been weak. The government keeps reeling out positive statistics, but for most Nigerians, the reality is higher prices, fewer jobs, lack of access to good medical care and widespread insecurity. This suggests that while the administration may have high ambitions and policies, the effective leadership execution and the resulting impact on the ground have not kept pace. Thus, the “lid” on national performance may be lower than President Tinubu’s ambitions or vision might suggest.

2. The Law of Influence.

According to Maxwell, “the true measure of leadership is influence — nothing more, nothing less.” Meaning: leadership is not about position, title, or authority; it is about the ability to inspire, persuade, and move people toward a shared goal. It is about influencing people, getting them to willingly and enthusiastically do what you want them to do. The true test of a leader is to ask him to create positive change in an organization or group. If you cannot create change, you cannot lead. Being a leader is not about being first, the most knowledgeable, or being a manager. Being a leader is not just about holding a leadership position. According to Maxwell “It’s not the position that makes a leader, but the leader (who) makes a position.” The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate because “he who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” In other words, when someone holds power or a high position but fails to influence people positively or meaningfully, it means they have authority, but no real followership or moral sway. This manifested during the #EndSARS protests in the year 2020.

The #EndSARS movement began as a youth-led protest against police brutality (specifically the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS). It was spontaneous, decentralized, and initially largely peaceful. It gained massive grassroots and international support — including from celebrities and the Diaspora.

However, despite holding the official power, several government figures (including senior police officers, state governors, and even the federal authorities) failed to influence or connect with the youth during the crisis. Government officials made statements appealing for calm, but the public did not trust their words — a sign that they lacked influence despite having authority. President Buhari’s call for dialogue was rebuffed. Several governors and ministers issued statements but could not calm their citizens — even though, constitutionally, they held the power. For example, in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu faced intense backlash despite calling for peace, because the public no longer perceived his words as credible or influential.

It’s not the position that makes a leader, but the leader (who) makes a position.

Even after SARS unit was officially and hurriedly disbanded, protesters continued because they did not believe the government’s sincerity. Frustrated, the government made matters worse when it allegedly responded with military force at Lekki Toll Gate, an incident that has, till date, attracted different and differing interpretations of what really happened that day. The lesson of the wide gap between the leaders and citizens at that time was underscored by the fact that authority remained but influence collapsed. Even those who catalyzed the #EndSARS movement failed to influence their own followers. The result was loss of lives and massive destruction of public property. Till today, the Nigeria has not fully recovered from that experience.

(to be continued)