The cord of sympathy sounds on the fragile strings of emotions. It offsets the temper of loss, inequality, pain, misery, through arms giving in a spontaneous intervention to provide subtle palliative in an effort to give a sense of humanity to a beneficiary and effect healing for the benefactor.
So acts of charity are driven by emotions, primarily to provide immediate relief to persons in need. It stimulates a feel good hormone in the heart of the benefactor as a way of soul healing and spiritual atonement. It is a tasking and brave exercise to embark on, it is expensive, depletes ones resources but worth doing. The great acts of charity by individuals in their solemn interventionary status require permission from no one and are accountable to no one. This means that the benefactor disburses his resources in a way and manner that suits him or her to whoever he or she can relate or connect with their plight. It is simply a personal relationship with self, emotion, society and God but it is in no way a yardstick for measuring sincerity, good behavior, moral standing, corporate competence, quality and capacity for reputable leadership.
Leadership is a specialized service that requires the ability to simplify complex situations, programs and projects with easy to reach solutions. It requires the courage and ability to render self in service through the eye of accountability and competence in service delivery. This also entails understanding the sacredness of public funds and the saddled responsibility to manage it for the common good of all through due process without at any point falling for the temptation of treating it as personal funds. Also essential to the numerous qualities of competent leadership is the will power to make very difficult decisions like un-padding the dangerously padded budget, contract awards and making some very difficult but necessary community development strides.
Sincere and competent leadership is not a charity spray and should not be mistaken as such neither should an assumption that one with the courage for acts of charity will possess what it take to stand out as a sincere, efficient and competent leader.
Let us always remember the culture of asking the right questions as a process of getting the enabling and directional answers. Let us not allow the emotions and limitation of our immediate environment coarse us into regrettable decisions.
We should be champions of our world, let us rule it in the most competent, objective and mutual beneficial manner.
May a legitimate opportunity for your celebration be made manifest through grace.
Ya diri anyi nma!!! (It shall be well with us)
Ikenga Jonjude Okere
