Stats: 3,184,251 members, 7,923,234 topics. Date: Friday, 16 August 2024 at 09:00 PM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / When You Leave That Position By Acm Olagunju Of Frsc (838 Views)
When You Leave That Position - A Warning To Our Leaders / Breaking Donald Trump Warns Nigerians “if I Win, You Leave” / You Eat Lagos’ Salt, Yet Speak Ill Of Lagos - Lasisi Olagunju (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
When You Leave That Position By Acm Olagunju Of Frsc by sola4joy: 6:09pm On Jun 21, 2016 |
(Food for thought).
WHEN YOU LEAVE THAT POSITION - A WARNING TO
OUR LEADERS .
-Kayode OLAGUNJU (PhD)
Assistant Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps,
Nigeria.
I was motivated to write this piece after going through
"The Ceramic Cup", an experience of a former United
State Under Secretary of Defence, culled from "Leaders
Eat Last" by Simon Sinek, incidentally sent to me by an
about retiring senior colleague. The ex-under Secretary
compared his experiences when he attended a
conference while in office and after leaving the office.
He relayed his varying encounters at a large
conference of about one thousand people. He told the
audience that he came to the last conference in
business class with someone waiting for him at the
airport. The protocol team arranged to pick him up to
the hotel and had been checked in before his arrival.
His room key was handed over to him and was
escorted to the room. The second day, somebody was
downstairs waiting for him and a vehicle was arranged
to pick him to the venue. At the conference center, he
was ushered in through a reserved entrance into the
green room, the VIP waiting room and without asking,
he was handed coffee in a beautiful ceramic cup. That
was when he attended the conference the previous
year as somebody in a position of authority.
The following year, after leaving the office, our "man of
yesterday" came to the same conference in economy
coach, nobody was waiting for him at the airport, he
had to find a taxi to take him to the hotel, checked
himself in and walked unescorted to his room. In the
morning of the conference day, nobody was waiting at
the hotel lobby and none was to chauffeur him to the
venue. He called on a cab. At the venue, no special
route of entrance, he came in like other participants.
No waiting room and he had to find his way to the
backstage and when he requested for coffee he was
shown a coffee machine placed in a corner. He had to
serve himself in the Styrofoam (paper cup) provided.
This time, no ceramic cup. He reminded all the
attendees that the ceramic cup and all the other royal
treatments were not meant for him as a person but for
his office.
Our leaders, especially the politicians, senior
government officials and high ranking military and
paramilitary officials should always think of when they
leave the positions they are currently occupying. Many
of the privileges and courtesies they are presently
enjoying are not meant for them but for their offices
and ranks. When they leave, human traffic to their
offices and homes will reduce drastically, their phones
will stop ringing, they will receive very few or no sallah
or Christmas gifts, even new year greetings cards will
only trickle in. All the aides will disappear and they will
have to personally carry their bags. All those presently
claiming affinity with them will look for new relations
among the today's men. Free money through
government care will suddenly dry up and people will
suddenly realize how difficult and arrogant they were
while in the office. Even those they assisted will claim
they could have done better.
I am presently an Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM), the
third in line of leadership of the Federal Road Safety
Corps, Nigeria as only the Deputy Corps Marshal group
separates the Assistant Corps Marshals from the Chief
Executive, the Corps Marshal. I think of that separation
between Assistant Corps Marshal and myself, Kayode
OLAGUNJU daily. Today, before I wake up my uniform
is ironed, ranks and badges fixed, shoe well polished
and handed over to me by person assigned to do so. I
have to even resist the offer to wear the shoes and tie
the laces for me. Getting official vehicles fueled or
maintained is not the responsibility of the officer. The
government pays for such. As an ACM you are ushered
into your beautiful official car, with flag flying to show
the authority confirmed on you. The staff car is fitted
with siren, though I don't use it and with
communication gadgets to reach different locations
from the car. Somebody is there as your orderly to
open door for you, fend off unwanted guests, hold your
phones, with the official phones never lacking airtime
and data for communication. The orderly is at your
beck and call. You get to the office, people are called
to be on attention, no movement and at every step, you
get saluted. The office has been cleaned by those
assigned to do so and some other people are provided
to make your job easier. Many will even want to think
for you.
When traveling, you don't know how your tickets are
sourced. The accommodation and protocol
arrangements are perfectly made for you. Some of the
courtesies are also extended to the families. Do you
then wonder why many people will prefer their spouses
to die in the positions rather than leaving such
influential offices? Anyway, when such people also die
in office, the burial expenses are most times passed to
the government. If all these happen around the "small
me" as we say here, then think of what happens at
higher level of governance. Some even overdo things
as they see these as status symbols. They engage in
expensive lifestyles. They want security aides to carry
their wives bags and go on all sort of illegal
assignments. The truth is, a lot of wastes go into these
arrangements and I wonder how many people can
sustain these after leaving their positions.
I have seen the "yesterday men" visiting their formal
offices and observed that they are now barely
recognized. The escort vehicles are no longer there.
Sirens are no longer blaring. The retinues have
disappeared . May be just one or two aides remaining.
The influence has waned and now some practically
seek recognitions. Allowances and free government
monies no longer there and they have to now fend for
themselves. Those who want to sustain same lifestyles
after leaving the office would have to steal while in the
office. Stolen government funds are being used to build
mansions, buy expensive cars and send children, many
of them pampered, to schools overseas. Some of them,
I mean both the spoilt brats and their parents are in jail
or being ridiculed, just because people think the
indulgences must be permanent
Lessons I have learnt? Simple. Power is transient.
Don't get used to a lifestyle you will not be able to
legally sustain after leaving the office. Please note that
tomorrow exists. You can be asked to account for the
actions of today, in not too distant future. And finally,
always remember this story of the Ceramic cup meant
for your office and the Styrofoam cup, the paper cup
that is always meant for you.
SHARE IF YOU FEEL LIKE.. |
Re: When You Leave That Position By Acm Olagunju Of Frsc by lecturerdabo(m): 11:31pm On Jun 21, 2016 |
Will our politricians ever learn from this? |
Re: When You Leave That Position By Acm Olagunju Of Frsc by sola4joy: 6:59am On Jun 22, 2016 |
@lecturerdabo that's the issue, they'll never learn. |
(1) (Reply)
Meanwhile, Recently Found Chibok Girl Still Missing. / $15billion Arms Deal:i Complied With The Directive Of Ex-president Jonathan&sam / We Built Abuja-kaduna Rail To 99% Completion - PDP
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 24 |