LEADERSHIP, THE ELECTORATE AND HUMANISM: RESTORING THE DIGNITY OF MAN by EZE, IZUCHUKWU PHILIPS

LEADERSHIP, THE ELECTORATE AND HUMANISM: RESTORING THE DIGNITY OF MAN - Rt. Hon. Eze, Izuchukwu Philips

Rt.Hon. Eze, Izuchukwu Philips

In a situation like the prevailing political atmosphere of the University, UNN, our country Nigeria,  and world at large, I think it wise to gear our mind to rethink and revisit the purpose of education for the founding fathers of our great citadel of learning, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA. A critical examination of  the  stand, stance, strands and the implications of our school motto, reveals  that primarily, the philosophy on whose wheels the vehicle of the school curriculum rides is on the principles and tenets of humanism —To Restore the Dignity of Man. Though, many analysts have viewed it (our motto) from different perspectives. Some view it as restoration of the dignity of the Blacks (through negritude lens), whereas others view it as restoration of the lost human dignity, both for of the Black and the White. Whichever way it is viewed, there are permanent concepts that keeps ringing bell — dignity was lost; there is a journey geard towards restoring this lost dignity; the lost dignity belongs to man; man here serves as a symbol representing the entire human race (both male and female sexes). And restoring dignity  of human person is the preoccupation of every humanismistic study.

CHUDI-ARINZE JEFFREY

A brief description of Humanism is a philosophy that believes in human effort and ingenuity rather than religion based on divine intervention. Humanists think that this life and this world is all we have. For a humanist, before one becomes any other thing, one became human, first. There is no other differences among humans except that some humans are biologically male or female. Some are blind while some have sight.  Some are crippled while others are not. Some have sense of hearing while others don't. Some dark skinned while others are light skinned. For a humanist, these are mere physical differences and none of these differences has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority of either of the differences. Every human whether rich or poor, black or white, the abled or the disabled, male or female is equal. Humanists see individual persons beyond their physical representation. The primary purpose for our existence is the fact the we exist and should live to ensure continuity and sustainability. Human beings have the possibility to give meaning to their lives and to create coherence in experiences. Present-day humanism strongly focuses on personal development in relation to others. It is this tension between personal development and advancement of humanization, that is creating the opportunities for the personal development of every world citizen.

Humanism is about personal autonomy, moral responsibility, and about solidarity with humanity. The tension between autonomy and social involvement is the core of humanism. Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism and empiricism) over acceptance of dogma or superstition. The meaning of the term humanism has fluctuated according to the successive intellectual movements which have identified with it. The term was coined by theologian Friedrich Niethammer at the beginning of the 19th century to refer to a system of education based on the study of classical literature ("classical humanism"). Generally, however, humanism refers to a perspective that affirms some notion of human freedom and progress.

In modern times, humanist movements are typically non-religious movements aligned with secularism, and today humanism typically refers to a nontheistic life stance centred on human agency and looking to science rather than revelation from a supernatural source to understand the world. Education can support persons in their moral and personal identity development.

Over the years,  humanity has allowed itself be blinded by the quest for superiority. If not one nation trying to lord it over another, it will be one individual seeing the other as incapable, needs to be lorded upon. Humanism lies with the spirit of the individual that refuses to be cowed into suppression and degradation. Humanism is that spirit that constructively questions any order that has proven faulty or infertile.  Humanism is that spirit in an individual that asserts itself... It asks WHY. This is the nucleus of the purpose of the founding fathers of the UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA (UNN) when they allowed the University motto read: To Restore the Dignity of Man. Dignity here, means an individual's sense of value and worth.  Man, here is a thinking man. One who constructs, restructures, critiques and organizes knowledge gained through his exploration of his social and physical environment. UNN products should be men and women who see and respect individuals based on their intellectual tank, rather than their mere physiological and physical features.
Where is the dignity? In a society that asks thus when you tell them that a female student is coming out for the post of SUG president: "She is a woman! Can she handle it? Don't you think such position befits only men?" as if having penis that can spur sperm is all it requires to be called a competent leader.  Is there anything inserted in a woman or lady's vagina that discredits her making a competent leader? The 'White' degrades and lords it over the 'Black' because, for them, white suggests superior intelligence and intellect; the so called black man lords it over the black woman because, for him, having penis capable enough to let him pass urine while standing suggests superior intelligence, while having virgina that makes her squat down while passing urine suggests her rightful place is in the kitchen and the other room as a Nigerian president rightfully said; women and men now conspire together to dehumanize the physically challenged persons— the blind, the crippled, the deaf and dump in our society.

What is leadership? Many has viewed this concept in different ways. According to Susan Ward, leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.This leadership definition captures the essentials of being able to inspire others and being prepared to do so. Effective leadership is based upon ideas (whether original or borrowed), but won't happen unless those ideas can be communicated to others in a way that engages them enough to act as the leader wants them to act. What makes a leader is her or his ability to motivate people to perform in order to achieve an end.  A leader works with people. He does not work nor walk alone. He knows the meaning of team work. Put even more simply, the leader is the inspiration and director of the action. He or she is the person in the group that possesses the combination of personality and leadership skills that makes others want to follow his or her direction.Leadership involves:establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, providing the information, knowledge and methods to realize that vision, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholders. In a democratic setting, a leader may be either be elected or be appointed. But, part of the interest of this essay is to examine the attitude of the electorate towards intending physically challenged leaders.
The electorate. https://en.m.wikipedia.org  explains that electorate may refer to: people who are eligible to vote in an election; an electoral district or constituency, the geographic area of a particular election. With the above, the focus of this essay is to examine the electorate, leadership and the applicability of humanism in a university that has the restoration of the dignity of man as its primary focus.

This essay is a product of a prevailing disheartening issue in UNN. I have this friend of mine called CHUDI-ARINZE JEFFREY who has been nursing this ambition to contest for SUG director of social. Jeff is visually impaired. When he told me about his interest, I became so excited about it.  Do you know why? It has not happened before in UNN. Also, it has never happened in any university in Africa at large.  I see the whole thing as means by which UNN will make history and break record as the first university in Africa to have a blind elected SUG official. I went about seeking  for more support for my friend,  Jeff. To be sincere, those who are supporting Jeffrey more of girls who are driven by pity. There are equally male students like Philips from Biological Science and Comr. Emmanuel from the faculty Social Science who are currently supporting Jeff because of the courage they perceived in this my blind friend. But, I feel pity for our school motto owing to the attitude of some students whose response is capable of making the lion in UNN logo shed tears: "You can't...how do you intend going about your activities as DOS, if you win considering your visual impairment ". Some are like, "how can a blind person be a leader where there are thousands of people who are able bodied? " Some even started shouting at him threatening to fight their creator's war— that they will make sure Jeff is screened out. Wow...! Man! Little does these wailers and abusers of Jeff's dignity know that by virtue of Jeff's CV,  he is the most qualified candidate for the post. Jeffrey is a trained social events planner by the virtue of his training; he studies Education and Music too with a fat GPA that could even be higher than those of his opponents; Jeff is also a fantastic rap artist, and actor too. Jeff has been planning events before he came to UNN as a student.  Now let me ask,  does being crippled or visually challenged make one a less human? Do these physical challenges make a wonderboy like Jeff less a leader? No. This people do not know that God the creator said that all he created is perfect.

The attitude of UNN students over female students vyying for presidential position and the physically challenged vyying for sensitive positions in SUG or even faculties makes me feel like giving up on our lovely school motto— to restore the dignity of man. I know that most of these misogynists and anti-disabled persons may have ruled out female and challenged students from being part of the 'man' whose dignity needs restoration. I no that all of them have looked at themselves and think they don't have challenges too. Some of these female students whose dignity we shrink to second class are better brains than the so called male students. Sir and Ma'am, in most final year classes, female students are likely going to make best graduating students while their male counterparts are there carrying their dicks about thinking dick is might. Do you equally know that most of these visually challenged or physically challenged persons have proven to be more intelligent than the so called able bodied. I am sure that Chudi-Arinze Jeffrey's CGPA is better than those of his opponents who must have gone to pad their CGPA's. Sir, if after spending 3-4 or five years in these great citadel of learning in this ICT driven world and you still judge a book by its cover— you still judge competence and performance based on physical appearance; or you still judge leaders based on gender or sex subscriptions, you are not a disgrace to university learning but the effort of those who foot your bills through the program. In UNN, I have learned that most of our curricula and co-curricula activities are geared towards moulding  learners who should graduate into advanced useful ladies and gents who will learn to value people based on their intellectual vat rather than their empty physical beauties that have aided no developed nor developing nations of the world.

They think CHUDI-ARINZE JEFFREY cannot make a good director of social just because he is visually impaired. Wow! Let us see it these way, SUG is a small organisation to be compared with Jamaica where Floyd Morris Emerson (a blind from age of 17) won and served as Senate President on May 2013. This is a historical document. It is there to be googled, ma'am and Sir. Woodrow Wilson, former President of the United States, partially paralyzed due to a stroke. And he is still serving his nation. Thomas Gore, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma is blind from childhood accidents. Whatever Gore became in life, he achieved them blind. Also, in America, Kristen Cox, 2006 Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, blind from Stargardt disease. Franklin D. Roosevelt, former President of the United States served, paraplegic due to polio. America was no less powerful during his time, rather more powerful. Read further, nwannem m. David Paterson, former Governor of New York, legally  blind from birth. F. B. Teter, Member of the Washington House of Representatives (1919 - 1923) served under the same cloak called blindness. These men served and a lot of them are still serving and contributing their quota to the growth of their nations. In United Kingdom, Anne Begg, MP since 1997, wheelchair user. Colin Low, Baron Low of Dalston was born blind. David Blunkett, former Home Secretary, is blind since birth. David Maclean, Baron Blencathra, MP (1983 - 2010) currently sitting to the house of Lords, since 1996 has Multiple sclerosis. Davina Ingrams, 18th Baroness Darcy de Knayth, member of the House of Lords, paralyzed from neck down following a car accident. Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister, is blind in one eye. Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale, MP several times between 1924 and 1958, then first life peer appointed to the House of Lords in 1958, blinded in action during the First World War. Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, disabled rights activist and member of the House of Lords, was born with Spinal muscular atrophy. Nick Griffin, Chairman of the BNP, is blind in one eye, following an accident in 1990 involving a shotgun cartridge. Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton and Baroness Masham of Ilton, politician, had several parts of her body paralyzed following a car accident. The list is endless.

CHUDI-ARINZE JEFFREY

In a SANE society, blindness or visual impairment does not make an individual less a human or leader. In sane a society, visual impairment is seen as having more tendencies of becoming better focused leaders as the individuals are going to operate based on high level of ideals breeding proficiency and effective administration without the distractions of this world-class they are more focused. Hence, their better grades in academic pursuits. Because, having sight issues does not mean one has ensight issues, Oga. In my World, being visually impaired does not mean he is visionary impaired. In a sane society women can make better presidents. If we have a blind student as SUG official, what it tells is that the electorate of the Lions Republic have attained enough in their intellect to see individuals beyond or above their physical deformity. What it means is that the future of Nigeria at large is bright. What it means is that UNN, through its oppression restore-the-dignity-of-man curricula and co-curricula system has groomed ladies and gents able enough to combat the socio-economic and political impotence and infertility that has earned Nigeria the honorable chieftency title, shithole country. If we elect a competent blind director of social against visually sound competence bankrupt director of social, it means that we are living our true motto as a university.

And someone may want to tell me that it is not normal. And I would be like, what has ever been normal? Because a thing has not happened before does not make it evil, taboo or sacrilegious, what it means is that that particular society has been blind (not physical blindness but intellectual blindness) enough not to tap from these sources. The world is not controlled by the crowd nor any of its members but, by few persons who decide to constructively question agelong orders or norms. What you called normal is normal because, someone first did it, followed by others who imitated and modelled it. The abnormal is abnormal because it has never happened. There is always a first time. Do you know that that abnormality stops being abnormal, when people consciously or unconsciously repeats the abnormal. Reoccurrence of the abnormal, makes it normal. The beauty of world lies in most of this abnormalities. Because, Nigeria has not had neither a female  nor a physically challenged national president does not mean it will be evil if Nigeria decides to have one.

In conclusion, list of men and women who have served the world physically challenged are innumerable. But is still foreign to Nigeria. The idea of a woman becoming president is still foreign to Nigeria. What if we are where we are today, retrogressively because we have looked down on certain masking leadership resources we have. Thereby, leaving them unhannessed, unutilised or sometimes, under-utilised. A society where women are seen as second class or mere instrument of entertainment; a society that thinks down on the blind, crippled, deaf and dump as having no leadership value, is like a table standing on two legs rather than the four that offers it stability, sustainability and balance. WE CAN RESTORE THE DIGNITY OF MAN! LET US BRIDGE THAT GAP. WE CAN REBUILD OUR NATION! OUR NATION HAS SUSTAIN LOTS EXCRUCIATING INJURIES, LET'S HEAL IT. Biafran-Nigeria civil war started in UNN. National Association of Nigerian Students started here in Lions Republic. The incorporation of the physically challenged in student union can also begin from our great citadel of learning, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA! Together, WE CAN, THEN, OTHERS WILL FOLLOW!
THANKS FOR READING THIS.
                        EZE, IZUCHUKWU PHILIPS
                        (ARTS EDUCATION, UNN)


The article is not the opinion of Nwaigba info media but that of the author. You can object or commend him  by Mailing him at izuphil4world@gmail.com or izuphil2017@gmail.com

To get your Article Published, Kindly Email nwaigbaturtlestar@gmail.com or Ezehemmanuelval@gmail.com.

For Objection, Suggestion and Or Contribution; You can forward your Mail or Message to Ezehemmanuelval@gmail.com or Call 07064393826