GLOBALLY and nationally, leadership has remained a pertinent question and might continue to be so, depending on how one sees, perceives and defines it.

Despite different definitions by different scholars and authors, leadership means different things to different people, depending on their circumstances, beliefs, values and needs.

To some it is a question of who will bell the cat when it matters most. And to others it simply means being in position of authority for the good of the majority. So, it has no definite definition but must be seen to have provided opportunity for the majority of the people to thrive, conquer and indentify with the authority for their own good.

It is all about personal sacrifice for the betterment of the people, because an average human being appears to be selfish, no matter how selfless he or she is or claims to be.

Good leadership could be achieved, made or inborn depending on circumstances. It is all about doing the unprecedented and the extraordinary, especially when it is least expected or appears impossible. Every leadership has a date with history either for positivity or negativity, but preferably the former because the latter has no creditable place in history. So leadership varies in circumstances, perception, environment, challenges and definitions.

In the world today, we have people we referred to as great leaders. For instance, Nelson Mandela is regarded as a symbol of freedom in South Africa for making a personal sacrifice by going to prison to liberate his people from apartheid government enslavement. That is his date with history.

Since the return of democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999, different people have found themselves in leadership positions with something or nothing to show for it. Those who failed  or passed have a date with history, and posterity will pass judgement on them.

Former governor of Anambra State, now a Senator representing Anambra Central District, Dr Chris Ngige could be described as a great leader of circumstance who found himself in the dilemma of choosing between serving the godfathers to remain a governor or serving the people to his own personal political misfortune; he opted for the latter to his own personal detriment.

And with the people’s massive support, he was able to keep the greedy godfathers at bay for the good of the state.

Abia State before now was held captive by a godfather who lorded it over the people for more than a decade, even after his eight wasteful years as governor of the state.

Several efforts before now to tame and subdue him, including the ones by the Presidency, major political stakeholders in the state and the people to were unsuccessful.  The godfather put his successor in a tight corner and became the de facto governor of the state during his successor’s first term in office.

But Governor Theodore Orji, just like Ngige patiently bidded his time, waiting for the right time  to liberate the state from  captivity.

Ask Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, Ikechi Emenike, Adolphous Wabara, Emeka Wogu, Senator Uche Chukuwumerije and others? They are alive today and can testify to what the state was before now.

At a stage nobody dare criticize or challenge the impunity of the godfather in the state.

The question then was who will bell the cat as nobody seemed ready to risk his life and his family. But Governor Orji decided to take up the gauntlet by daring the godfather and his allies  without necessarily engaging them in an open confrontation or political conflict as was the case with Ngige in Anambra State in 2003.

Since then major political stakeholders in the state who  were forced into exile have all returned and are happy to be associated with the present government, applauding the regime of accessibility and transparency in governance.

Same applies to majority of the people in the state who are now celebrating Governor Orji as a hero and leader of their time for achieving the unprecedented by speedily initiating  developmental strides in the state .

But even in the face of all these, the godfather and his allies  have continued to peddle falsehood in the media by painting the government in bad light as a non-performer.

The massive developmental projects that are on-going across the state and the ones commissioned in Aba and Umuahia recently can only but suggest that if the liberation from the godfather was achieved much earlier, the state would have been the better for it.

It is often said he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Those questioning Governor Orji’s performance profile must do so constructively and factually and avoid being biased. Constructive criticism is a tonic for democratic rule and it spurs leadership to strive for a place in history. Critics should please give  Governor Orji a break, especially as he has achieved more than his predecessors and still has three years in office to do more.

Ms.GLORIA IWUALA, an engineer, wrote from Lagos.