The great and influential 18th
century writer and social critic, John Gardner had this to say of other great
leaders: “Leaders have a significant role in creating the state of mind that is
the society. They can serve as symbols of the moral unity of the society. They
can express the values that hold the society together. Most importantly, they
can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations,
carry them above the conflicts that tear a society apart, and unite them in the
pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts”. John Gardner might have
been writing about his 18th century Europe,
but the issues he raised then are as urgent today as they were then. Issues of
leadership, moral unity, values and principles, and above all, conflict are as poignant
in today’s society as they were in the 18th century.
After a careful
assessment of the potentials of those who passed round as leaders in those
challenging times, Gardner
was forced to come up with what he considered qualities of a good leader. In
doing this, he had no bias or no particular individual in mind. His
postulations on a good leader corresponded with what yet another greater leader
of all times, Martin Luther King said. According to Martin Luther, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for
consensus but a molder of consensus”. Martin Luther King was simply
overwhelmed by the quality of leaders around him as they fought the battle of
equality between black and whites in the United States of America. Martin
Luther was appalled not only by the number of quack but also kangaroo leaders
that doted the black and white communities in the United States soon after
independence. He saw in most leaders the individuals who rather than mold
consensus in times of conflict went searching for consensus. He was also
bothered about a leadership that was not committed and purposeful. His worries
soon found expression in Dan Marino,sr’s reflections that “Leadership, I think you must have that, particularly when a team’s on
the field, they look to you. In critical situations, they look into your eyes
to see if you’re there. If you’re not there, they start quitting”. Most of
our leaders have fallen into this category. They quit even before the game is
over, not knowing that the game does not end with the referee’s last whistle or
when the crowds go home. It ends hours and years after the real match was
played. Our societies, talk less of Abassakom in Boyo division, has had such
leadership. They have functioned as if leadership was a technical or an
intellectual exercise where one plus one was three, as the Nigerian singers put
fondly. They soon forget the advice and command of Lewis H. Lapham that “Leadership consist not in degrees of
technique but in traits of character; it requires moral rather than athletic or
intellectual effort, and it imposes on both leader and follower alike the
burdens of self-restraint”. Abassakom in particular and Kom in general, has
had its fair share of such chaotic leadership. Abassakom, it has been said, has
had everything that a society worth its name has, but leadership. Leadership
has come in short supply. It has been an extremely scarce commodity. The past
generation of those who have passed around as leaders have done every other
thing but lead, for, as the Ralph Nader put it centuries ago: “The function of leadership is to produce
more leaders, not followers”.
Enter Denis Awoh Ndang: The Genuine Leader
Abassakom is the name given to
the area of land that covers Fundong central sub division in Boyo division of
the North West of Cameroon. Abassakom is the seat of both the administrative
and traditional headquarters of Boyo and Kom fondom. Used at times by the
not-too-informed and half-baked individuals in a derogatory manner, Abassakom
in the true sense of the word refers to the mainstream part of Kom given that
both the Belo and Njinikom valleys were originally inhabited by non-indigenes
or by people expelled from mainstream Kom. However sweet this part of the story
might be, it does not constitute our focus in this write up. What is however
important is that Denis Awoh Ndang is a true son and leader of Abassakom. A
true leader, Harold Geneen says “is one
who has a genuine open-door policy so that his people are not afraid to
approach him for any reason”. For those who know Denis Awoh Ndang, no
explanation is necessary. For those who do not know him, no explanation is
possible. But one thing is clear and outstanding: Denis Awoh Ndang is all what
John Gardner and Martin Luther King outlined in our introductory paragraphs and
more.
One of the
qualities of a true leader and by extension of Denis Awoh is that a true leader
“listens a hundred times, ponders a
thousand times, speaks once”. We stand to be challenged on this glaring
point. A true leader and by extension, Denis Awoh Ndang, has an inexhaustible
good nature. Irving Washington had this to say about leaders with an
inexhaustible nature: “An inexhaustible
good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like
oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable
in the roughest weather”. Not only in Fundong, but across Boyo, Denis has
had to survive challenges by detractors because of this character threat in
him. To say that he is a true leader of Abassakom is to say that he stands out
while his contemporaries blend in. When others are singing a dirge, the level-headed
Denis Awoh Ndang is singing a lullaby. When others think we have reached the
end of the road, he thinks the journey is only beginning. When others think
they have received a huge political blow, he thinks he has received but his own
baptism of fire and that there is reason to keep on keeping on. When others are
taking only their needs into consideration, Denis Ndang is taking his
abilities. Like a true Abassakom son, he does not wait to be told what to do,
he goes ahead and does what he thinks is for the interest of a greater
majority. In doing this, he has become an apostle of Edwin H. Stuart who says
that: “Men who do things without being
told draw the most wages”. One thing that makes him a true son and leader
of Abassakom is that he does not play to the gallery or do things because he
sees an applauding crowd. This is exactly what George Van Valkenburg said of
true leadership: “Leadership” he
said, “is doing what is right when no one
is watching”. More importantly, Denis Ndang’s leadership qualities come
from his personality. Brian Tracy once wrote that: “The depth of your belief and the strength of your conviction determine
the power of your personality”. This good natured man has over the years
turn good into greatness.
Denis Ndang: The Developer
To say that Ndang is
reengineering leadership in Abassakom and by extension Boyo, is no gainsaying.
Ndang’s leadership qualities started in his early years when he just returned
from Europe after backing a degree in
Engineering. Struggling to make sense out of Cameroonian life, he began
reflections on how to better the lot of his kinsmen. While in Yaounde, he began reflections with other
young and upcoming Abassakom elites on the future of Abassakom and especially
on its leadership position in Boyo. When he finally got into the Cameroon Civil
Service through the Public Works Ministry, he decided he would be a public
figure, first for the development of Abassakom and secondly, for his Boyo
division. This dogged determination landed him the top leadership job in
Abassakom, as the President General of Abassakom Area Development Union. For
years, he worked hard to bring the voice of Abassakom to the centre stage of
development in Boyo and by extension the North
West. He initiated the giant project for the
construction of a multipurpose community hall in Fundong. As a true developer,
he initiated scholarships for students in the area, as well as supported water
and sanitation projects in villages and quarters in Abassakom. In his native
Meli and other villages in Abassakom like Abuh, Denis spearheaded personal road
and bridge construction projects outside the mandate of ABADU. This has gained
for him a lot of admiration across Boyo. Not satisfied with his own record of
achievement this soft-spoken and unassuming gentleman went ahead to initiate
the creation and run of a micro-finance institution in Fundong, MC2
bank. Coming after many other MC2s in the region and against a
background of discouragement by detractors, MC2 Fundong, has grown
to a level that other MC2s are using it as case study for good
practice. Believing in the central role communication can play in the
development of the area; Denis Awoh Ndang decided to rally forces to set up the
lone community radio in Boyo. Today, Boyo division has joined the committee of
nations that believe that to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs),
one needs communication. The Boyo Community Radio is the pride of everybody in
Boyo today, yet the brainchild of one man - Denis Awoh Ndang. Today, many youths
can put food on their tables thanks to this initiative.
Ndang: The Politician
Ndang Denis’ influence throughout
Boyo has not only been limited to development. It has also been about his
beliefs that a better way to bring meaningful development to your area can be
through politics. He then decided to fine-tune politics with his technological
aplomb. As frontline militant of the CPDM who believes that for now, it is only
the CPDM that can change the lot of his people, he decided to offer his time
and experience to the building of a good image for the CPDM in Abassakom and by
extension, Kom. His new generation militancy and his non-confrontational nature
won for the CPDM many sympathizers. Interestingly, many of his lovers in the
development domain continued to remind him that they love him as a person but
that he was riding the wrong horse. Despite this, his real politic qualities
have contributed immensely to the growth of the CPDM in Fundong. Proof positive
is the fact that at the last October 11, 2011 presidential election, Ndang’s
CPDM party registered over 45% for candidate Paul Biya, up from mere 23% in
past years. In the 2007 twin elections, Denis Awoh Ndang almost turned tables
in Fundong as he threatened to take over the mayorship of the council area from
the SDF to the CPDM. As a Spartan that dies but never surrenders, Denis Awoh
has continued his proximity campaign since after 2007 to win over the council
come 2013.
Ndang: The Family Man
Denis Awoh Ndang’s story is not
complete with his family. As a typical Abassakom man, Ndang since became a
family man and since devoted his life to prayer and dedication. His love for
his wife and children, constitute part of his success in public life. Recently
promoted Regional Delegate for Public Works in the South West, this holder of
an MSc in Engineering has opted to be an exemplary father and family head,
teaching by example. As Talmud once put it “Example
is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing”. His
love for his family is demonstrated in triumphant detail when I Corinthian 13 speaks
of love: “as being as strong as death
itself… it cannot be killed by time or disaster; it cannot be bought not even by
the richest king! It must be accepted as a gift from God and then shared within
the guidelines that God provides…” It is the same love that Chronicle shares with Denis Awoh Ndang
in this edition as our role model.
No comments:
Post a Comment