Fate of Kogi’s destiny
On the other hand, there are natural leaders; a special breed of people destined and blessed with the qualities of good leadership. This specie usually form the class of good leaders and they always find themselves leading naturally wherever they are. Their distinctive characters are humility, dedication, and commitment. Also, they regard the discharge of […]
On the other hand, there are natural leaders; a special breed of people destined and blessed with the qualities of good leadership. This specie usually form the class of good leaders and they always find themselves leading naturally wherever they are. Their distinctive characters are humility, dedication, and commitment. Also, they regard the discharge of leadership responsibilities as a personal burden.
Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State happens to be such a natural leader. He always finds himself leading in whatever field of Endeavour he finds himself . This has been the blessing of the almighty upon him and his life history attests to this fact. At his tender age he became a leading student both in his primary and secondary schools; he then decided to go into business as a young man who was quick to realize the strategic economic potentials in the modern world. Being an intelligent, energetic and focused young man, he was able to put his act together by mobilizing resources to form a strong capital base which he then used to establish a furniture and interior decoration company; a business choice requiring extraordinary effort to succeed.
His young company sprang up in the midst of long established companies dealing in the same products and the challenges were enormous. But His Excellency, though not a marketer was able to come up with unique marketing and selling points/strategies which gave his company an edge over the other formidable competitors. With time, his furniture company became the clear leader in that field.
Having succeeded in his initial foray into the business arena, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris deployed his exceptional business acumen in establishing another company, this time in the line of general contract. This form of business was the exclusive preserve of big time businessmen who possess a large amount of capital needed, influence and connections. To survive at that high level of business was indeed a herculean task, but His Excellency, being a hardworking man ensured that his company always delivered the best goods and most qualitative services.
Within a short time his company became reputable and well known in high circles as a transparent and innovative company. With his honesty and business acumen, his company got to the top of the list and he became known as a leader among the leading business men. Even after becoming a public figure he remained a gentleman, admired by all and sundry for his generosity, humility and God fearing nature, despite his affluence.
Insptie of the huge success and triumphs he had achieved, His Excellency did not relent in his business career at this juncture. He trudged on relentlessly and wisely invested his money into property and hotel management business, a line of business which a busy person like himself would have found too tedious to handle. But he managed it with dexterity and once again built it up into a formidable hotel, the best among its kind, having a reputation of hospitality and qualitative services. His ability to lay down a unique organizational structure for the management of the hotel aided its rapid growth and expansion, and in no time, branches were opened in other parts of the country. Not only did they surpass other three-star hotels, but they also competed with the known 5-star hotels.
Abraham Maslow in his Theory of Needs postulated that when a personality gets to the point of the esteem need after having achieved status, responsibility, reputation, etc he would desire to get elevated to the point of self actualization (that is personal growth/self fulfillment).
It is in this light His Excellency zeal to serve his people foray into politics can be viewed. After being reckoned with as an achiever, commanding respect among all class of society, he sought to move up to the point of self actualization through partisan politics.
At about the same time, His Excellency saw the need to improve on his educational achievements and this applied for admission to study law at the University of Abuja where he bagged on LLB (Bachelor of Law) degree in civil law.
When the born leader indicated his interest in contesting for the top seat in Kogi State, not a few people were skeptical about his success. This was because the political terrain in Kogi State has already filled with political heavyweight and long established experienced politicians, and high profile personalities who are well known.
But to the surprise of all and with the support of the Almighty, Governor Idris, after six months of active politics, clinched the number one seat as Executive Governor of Kogi State. Several efforts were made to dissuade and frustrate him out of the race but they proved abortive. He succeeded again and became the King of Kogi Politics.
Another remarkable feat he has achieved is his performance in the stewardship of the state. He has a unique administrative capacity which enabled him to take Kogi State to a higher level. He is a leader who is out for human progress and development and as such he tries to carry everybody along.
Jimoh wrote from Apo Village, Abuja