THE POLITICIAN COLOURED NOVEMBER 2013 | Page 47

I am an advocate of free speech but there is a huge difference between free speech and an all out attempt to destroy the character and public perception of an individual, and something drastically needs to be done about this. Our leaders are not perfect. If they were, then they wouldn’t be leading an imperfect people such as us. Many of them are doing the very best they can to improve the lot of Nigerians, and even if we feel that the change we seek is not happening as fast or in the magnitude that we would like, that still doesn’t justify the use of the sort derogatory terminology being used when we speak about them. Let us learn to encourage our leaders and give them the benefit of the doubt, because things are not always as easy and as straight forward as they may appear. Leadership is an incredibly arduous task, and more so in a country like Nigeria where people with various motives are tussling for the same thing. The Oil and Gas sector is the economic backbone of our nation and the person charged with its oversight and leadership must be able to intertwine the economic and political components of the sector, and make sure that they both work in harmony. The Oil and Gas sector is as much about politics as it is about economics and to navigate this great ship of state, one must be able to bridge the socioeconomic/political and religious divides that exist within our country. In the person that we have come to know as Mrs Deizani Alison-Madueke, such great qualities domicile. She is cut from a different cloth altogether, a Woman who has distinguished herself in her field and continues to be a shining example to Women from all the geopolitical zones of the country, pragmatically demonstrating that Women are not just biologically different, but can indeed make a difference, and lead our country to greater economic heights. Join me therefore in the celebration of a woman who embodies the spirit of service, and has given her life to the development of our country. A true patriot and a loyal daughter of the nation, whose efforts and contributions to Nigeria’s economic development have proven to be invaluable. Our dear Sister, thank you for all that you’re doing, your labour of love will never be forgotten and your sacrifice for the people of Nigeria will indeed stand the test of time and in the end, even your detractors and critics would have no choice but to admit the truth, and what is this truth? That you were truly sent from above at this specific time in our nation’s history, and that your labours were indeed, for God and Country. God bless you, God bless the Goodluck Jonathan administration and God bless the federal republic of Nigeria 33