Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo
By Aderemi Yussuf.
” There are kings and there are kingmakers, Sometimes, being the king is a little easier than being the king maker. The king is just the face” Dr Barry Flinchbaugh, a professor emeritus of agricultural economics would say to each class he thought at Kansas state University. It was a his way of reminding us that leaders are only as good as the people that they surround themselves with for advice. Every king, every leader.needs a voice of conscience.
As a professor at Kansas University, Flinchbaugh taught generations of Students about ag policy. In his no nonsense Pennsylvania plain speak . He taught his students on how decisions made in the corridor of power could affect their bottom line at home on the farm. Dr Flinchbaugh was one of the architects of the freedom to farm bill of 1966 and that he’s advised on agricultural policy at the state and at the federal levels. But maybe the best legacy that Flinchbaugh leaves us with, beyond the lessons he thought in and out of the Classroom, are the many lives he influenced with his words. Leaders of Industry, farmers who sit on county commissions, commodity board members, and yes, ah reporters, our numbers of legions.
In his eyes, we were all kings just waiting for our opportunities to lead. And will forever be our conscience. Culled from Jenifer M. Latzke
To many school of thoughts, the king maker may not be directly involved in decision making but has influence on the king and his regent. The Queen’s recent outcry that the cabals that surround the king has more influence on the king than even his regent was highly applauded……To many, the kingmaker should take every blames of his anoitted because the king is just the face while he is behind the mask.
If leaders are presumed to be good as the people that they surround themselves with for advice. Every king, every king maker needs a voice of conscience.Just like professor Flinchbaugh . he left a legacy that will leaves beyond generations yet unborn.
Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo of his blessed memory was a king maker personified. He anoitted many kings who were champions of their domains. AIthough, as a king maker, whose fate denied of the ultimate crown. He was greater than many kings that were crowned in the history of royalty in the sorveringn kingdom. He surrounded himself with think-tank whom he taught his philosophies; lived by his philosophies and his ideologies that will forever be their conscience. So to say, the king maker can be much more greater than the king because the king is just the face. Awolowo’s anticidents is liken to that of professor Flinchbaugh of his blessed memory. He lend his voice to the policies that affect the nation. He was the architects of free education policy at the state and federal levels which we all benefited from. He was the brainchild of Odua investment company in the southwest region. He was the founder of the premier university, the western Nigeria Television. He brought various agricultural research institutes to his colonies. His dream to extend the policies to the center was cut- short. He never relented because it was a vision. He was a humanitarian by all standard. His policies were people’s friendly. His personal interest to be crowned as the sorveringn king surbodinate the peoples interest. Awolowo appreciate and understand the importance of building bridges beyond his ethnic background. He formed an alliance with people from the east, though, his intension was misconstrued. He was a good friend of Micheal Okpara. A close ally of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu.His political associates were Chief Phillip Umeadi, Chief Mck Ajuluchukwu and Mrs Oyinbo Odinammadu and many more.
The kingmaker should learn from the past. He should streach his olive hands to the east. He must be seen as a true kingmaker. He must gather momentum and support a candidate from that region. I once anticipated and opined a merger of ACN and APGA just like Action group and UNGA.
So many lessons to learn from professor Flinchbaugh
Recently, the acclaimed king maker was at the rock villa- the seat of government in the nation; the supreme rock where decisions are taken…that he was a kingmaker and he would be enthroned as the next king of the land.The same rock which serves as abode for the king and his anointed regent.
Truly, as a matter of right and antecedence, the kingmaker can be the king of the kingdom; after all, man is a wanting animal.This was proved by a renowned theorist- Henry fayol in the hierarchy of needs. In Flinchbaugh lessons: ” that there are kings and there are king maker, sometimes, being the king is a little easier than the king maker. “The king is just the face” while underneath, or behind the mask is the king maker.
In this context, it’s suffice to say that the people that surround the king should have louder voice and influence on decisions taken by the kings in form of advice on economic policies as it effect the nation. The king maker equally lend his voice to the fact that he will start from where the king stops his work in terms of economic policies and securities being the twin scourge confronted by the nation for more than a decade now. Despite the resilient efforts of the security personnels to cub the menace, it has continue to rear it’s ugly heads expecially in the Equitoria north. The insurgencies and banditries are skyrocketing on daily basis amid strategic military and political approach to decimate them.
As a matter of fact, why will the kingmaker wait till his turn; to be enthroned before brainstorming with the king and his anoitted regent on the issue at stake? If there is a conflict between a lifelong ambition of any leader and the national interest, the latter should be of paramount important.
The man was made for the kingdom and not the reverse. Without the kingdom, there won’t be king. The sustainability of the kingdom and as a nation must be a subject of concern and not coronation of the kingmaker.
As we progresses in this matter which affects the king and his subjects, professor Flinchbaugh’s enduring legacies shall continue to be our touchbearer – a naysayer, the man who spoke the truth to the power that be, like ” this issue of oil subsidy must be settled, the economy needs certainty, this government must function. We need less rhetoric and more facts, less mythology and more facts, less propaganda and more civility and reality The professor was blunt and unapologetic in his approach to government policies. His resilient brought vicissitudes to the economy; the change that is elusive, the change that the people are earnestly yarning for……..
Nevertheless, without much Ado about nothing, our own professor and the kingmaker should wake-up to the challenges headon, we have no time to waste on playing unhealthy politics.
We were all kings just waiting for our opportunities to lead and pilot the nation’s vehicle to greatness!!! And will forever be our conscience. We will be remembered like professor Flinchbaugh. We will be remembered like “a kingmaker that the nation never had as a king” greater than any revered kings.
