Nigeria: The Presidency and Its Failings

27 October 2017
opinion

People aspire for the office of president of a country for many reasons. I hear Aliko Dangote is being pressured by admirers to run for the office. If I were him, I wouldn't run, because he has a stature greater than that of a president. What does a Bill Gates need the presidency for? His platform extends far and above one provided by the U.S. political scene. They both don't need political offices to make money, for they are already rich. Power, right? Then you must have forgotten the late Herman Kahn's (U.S. political commentator) speech-mark, "authority is not power, that's coercion. Authority is not knowledge, that's persuasion or seduction. Authority is simply that the author has the right to make a statement and to be heard."

Now, who was it that said, "the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously?" You got it right. Hubert Humphrey. Everyone is an oracle and a hero to someone. So forgive me if I goof in this article. Be guided by Humphrey's advice.

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