A couple of years ago I served under an individual I found very charismatic and while I was driven by a zeal to work for the greater good; my faith was challenged when I, like many others, began to see past the charm. What we discovered was a Machiavellian character that was so ruthless that the veneer of charm was just a tool to manipulate and ingratiate to the powers that be.

Now, is this the kind of President Nigeria needs at the moment? Certainly not, because we desperately need an honest, transparent, disciplined, intelligent and focused servant-leader who has compassion for the masses, a leader who will boldly confront the grotesque status quo and radically change it for the better. Our people are tired of morally over-contaminated leaders.

Their democracy is democracy because of the way, over time, the British people, in whatever capacity, representative or represented, have practised and practicalized and popularized how to ensure the welfare and security of their citizens.

Nigerians often forget that the success or failure of our economy can generally be traceable to the actions or inaction and policies of our government.

So important have flags grown in the position they hold as portrayals of the spirit of nations, and in their position as fixtures in the psyche of the people, that special rituals and observances are accorded them in various nations.