THE POLITICIAN OCTOBER 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 religiou ???????????????)??????????????%????????????????????????)????????5????????????5???????????????)????????????????()M??????????????????????????????????????]????????????????????????????????????????????????????()??????????????????????]????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????()????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????9??????e?????????()??????????????????????????????????=??????M??????????????????????????e???????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????9??????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????????????????)????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????)?????????????????????????9?????((??((0