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Clay Feet Leaders

Image source:  Lee Edwin Coursey
Image source: Lee Edwin Coursey

Margaret Thatcher is one leader who divides opinions in the UK. Some think she was despicable and others think she was respectable. Her death was celebrated by some as good riddance and mourned by others as a great loss. I find the whole thing amusing.

I didn’t live in the UK during the Thatcher years so I can’t say whether she was a bad leader. But I have lived under bad leadership and would readily trade Nigeria’s former dictators (especially Babangida and Abacha) for a Margaret Thatcher any given day. I can assure non- Nigerian readers that these men were TERRIBLE leaders. If I recall correctly, Thatcher left the country in a better position than the one she inherited. It is usually the reverse with Nigerian leaders.

Thatcher had her flaws and she made her fair share of blunders but then show me a leader who is perfect. Every leader has clay feet. I do wonder if Thatcher would have gotten as much grief if she was man. She was nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’ because of her toughness which is a trait celebrated in strong male leaders. It must be a hard balancing act for female leaders to maintain equilibrium because they are usually criticised for being too masculine (tough) and despised for being too feminine (caring) especially in the corporate and political arena.

Thatcher was a product of her era – an era where she never dreamt she would be Prime Minister until she did become one and an era where when she did become one, she was the only woman in a room of men. I presume anybody in her position would have to be tough and ambitious to get there in the first place and equally tough to stay there as long as she did.

2 replies on “Clay Feet Leaders”

Nigeria leaders were and are just dumb, ignorant and lacking the necessary vision to make any impact during and after their stay.

It is unfortunate that Nigeria has had a succession of bad and corrupt leaders thereby making it a huge cleanup job for any good leader who wants to lead the country.

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