By unknown author.
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Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state.
In is safe to say that in Nasarawa State today, we have a leader in the person of Governor Abdullahi Sule that can best be described as a manifestation of the philosopher king made popular by known other than Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher.
The concept of philosopher king was made famous by Plato in his popular treatise ‘The Republic’. Research shows that it was the result of Plato’s discontent with the conditions prevailing in then Athens which was ruled by amateurs resulting in prevalence of corruption and rulers ruling to fulfil their selfish interests.
According to Plato, the philosopher king was the lover of wisdom and passionate seeker of truth. The philosopher king was the basis of Plato’s ideal state.
Also, the philosopher king was an embodiment of knowledge variously described as virtue and reason. According to Plato, a philosopher king possesses virtue, through which he could see better than others the betterment of the society.
“Through the indepth knowledge of good he would equate his interest with the interest of the society,” Plato pointed out.
Again, reason would enable the philosopher king to realize that happiness of the part depends on the happiness of the whole. He would work for the welfare of the community instead of striving to achieve his self interest.
A careful examination of Governor Sule’s style of leadership will leave no one in doubt as to the fact that he is indeed, a modern day philosopher king.
Those who earnestly desire to understand his person will readily acknowledge that Governor Sule did not come into power merely to achieve his selfish interest but for the collective interest of the entire people of the state. Having prepared himself adequately for his new role, he came with a vision to transform Nasarawa State and to place the state on the genuine path of sustainable development.
Recognizing his enviable wisdom garnered through years of dedicated hard work and commitment in the organized private sector reveals generally agreed-upon notions about how necessary are virtues such as wisdom held by leaders when establishing welfare states.
It’s little wonder then that Governor Sule has made it an integral policy thrust of his administration to provide a range of programmes that bring succour to the less privileged in the society. Be it the Kudin A. A Sule, the NG-CARES monthly stipend or countless other interventions, all meant to allow the beneficiaries cope with financial stress during difficult moments like the Covid-19 pandemic and presently the economic hardship brought about by the removal of the fuel subsidy.
Even the recent distribution of food items and cash as palliative, that resulted into the unfortunate incidence at the Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) is also meant to cushion the hardship being experienced by the students.
Indeed, the Governor’s open mindedness enables him to maintain unity amongst the diverse interests in the state, even as his wisdom enables him to rise above the narrow societal divisions based on religion, gender, ethnicity etc. and to respect the diversity among the people.
A sincere analysis devoid of parochialism or bias would readily identify Governor Sule as a leader and philosopher rolled into one. He readily manifests the persona of the ideal leader enthused by another ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates, who argued that until political power and philosophy entirely coincides, there could hardly be genuine development.
In Nasarawa State, we have a leader that is also a philosopher which explains why the state is growing in leaps and bounds.
Source: Nasarawa Newsline.
