Economic Hardship: Show Nigerians empathy, Ambode tells Tinubu

Former Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, says the current hardship being experienced in the Nation did not start with President Bola Tinubu Administration.

Ambode spoke at the Akinjide Adeosun Foundation (AAF)’s 2024 Leadership Colloquium and Award: Chapter 8, with the Theme: “ Economic Asphyxiation – The wisdom of Authentic Leaders” held at Alliance Francaise, Ikoyi, on Monday.

The Akinjide Adeosun Foundation (AAF) is a Non-Profit, Non-Religious and Non-Political Organisation. It was set up to leave a Leadership Legacy in Africa by strengthening capabilities in Today’s Leaders and build a pipeline of ready Future Leaders by 2035

Ambode said that Nigeria’s problem had a long history and needed a courageous President like Tinubu to fix them frontally.

“Its (challenges) has nothing to do with the singular person called Mr President; but if we don’t understand the fundamental, we will start doing the blame games.

“We need to face our problems frontally.

“The major issue is that we are even tired of not fixing our issues. Now that we have found somebody that has decided in person of President Tinubu,” he said.

The former Governor, however, said there was need to make Executive Reforms on the Coordination Circle around the President.

Ambode urged Nigerians to stop blame games but be supportive, resilient and patriotic about the Country.

He added: “Until we decide ourselves to say that we should unite for the common cause called Nigeria, the Security issues will not go.

“We are all in a position to actually support Mr President, let us start to look at it from a different prism.

“We don’t have to wake up in the morning and be talking ill of Nigeria. We get what we profess about Nigeria.”

He said that what Nigeria was facing had been staring on the Nation for 300 years, tracing it to Slave Trade with what he described as “the divide and extract strategy”.

He said that Nigeria needed Self-Awareness Strategy to fix problems in the post COVID-19 Era.

“We must think out of the box. We have to feed ourselves.

“When we start to think by ourselves today, we will resolve the issues concerning Nigeria, we will smile,” he added.

Speaking on Authentic Leadership, Ambode said that no matter how weak the Followers were, Nigerian Leaders must stand in front and continually show confidence that tomorrow would be all right.

“You must stand in front and show them that you are in the challenge with them. You must show them empathy.

“It (Authentic Leadership) is more about the Emotional Intelligence that actually understands the frustration of the Followers. What is going on around them.

“The issue is, we cannot afford to play propaganda because something is bad but we keep saying that it is not bad,” he said.

Talking about his Leadership in the State as Governor, Ambode said that he had come to realise that his background was a reflection of his character and values.

He said that he knew how the Ordinary Resident feel and this empathy reflected in many of the decisions taken while in Office.

“I was not born with a Silver Spoon in my mouth. I recognise the fact that I was just opportune to be a Leader and I am actually part of them,” he said.

Ambode said that Authentic Leaders should encourage the People, get their sympathy and provide them hope that “whatever they were going through would go away.”

“My sense of empathy brings a bigger sympathy from Followership,” he said.

He said that if the Leaders showed empathy to the People and carried the People along, the People as Followers must start to show sympathy.

Ambode urged the Government to communicate their difficulties and what they were going through effectively, stressing the need for Community Information.

Speaking on the Theme of the Event, Akinjide Adeosun, the Visionaire of AAF and CEO of St. Rachael’s, described Asphyxiation  as a state of being deprived of Oxygen.

Adeosun said that such could cripple activities, and even if not managed, will ultimately lead to death, “exactly as it is being currently experienced in present day Nigeria”.

Adeosun emphasised the need to be transparent, upright, empathetic, even in the face of Economic and Social challenges.