*NIGERIAN LEADERS’ PENCHANT FOR BREACHING OFFICIAL EVENT PROTOCOLS*

By Titus Chigozie

There is a reason official public events are conducted in line with certain established protocols anywhere in the world. It is to ensure proper procedure of activities, maintain orderliness and maximize time efficiency, while preserving the ethos of public decorum.

As protocols imply the order of procedure in the conduct of events in any given situation, they reflect the capacity of enlightened human beings to organize and conduct themselves in a civilized manner.

In Nigeria, official public events are a regular feature of our everyday government activities. Through them, we are used to the nuances of “all protocols observed” or “standing on existing protocols.” We are conversant with the mandatory introductions of all attending dignitaries in certain order and with attached titles, prefixes and suffixes. And then there is the culture of peculiar Nigerian ‘bigmanism’ that involves some dignitaries arriving late at public events and disrupting the order of proceedings and protocols.

Sometimes, when an inappropriate social behaviour becomes a pattern, it erodes the moral fabric of society. When leaders make a habit of arriving late at events and disrupting protocols, they downgrade exemplary leadership qualities. That is why the recent incident involving Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, should be a cause for concern to those who value showing positive leadership examples.

Some media channels gleefully reported that Mr. Obi “stole the show” on Saturday March 25 in Awka, capital of Anambra State at an event as part of the activities to mark Governor Charles Soludo’s first year in office.

As invited dignitaries like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Former Governor Ezeife, and others were already seated at the event held at the International Convention Center, Awka, Gov. Soludo was in the middle of making his speech when he was unceremoniously interrupted by a loud noise after guests noticed Obi strolling in.

The hall became raucous and rowdy, as the order of proceedings got rudely disrupted. It took some time to restore order for Governor Soludo to resume his speech. Now, what happened on Saturday was not the first time Mr. Obi would be arriving late at public events and disrupting proceedings while acknowledging cheers from his supporters.

The pattern is creating an impression that his favourite raucous manner of arrival is more of deliberate ego trips or popularity contest than genuine, unavoidable lateness. No one is saying that a dignitary like him should not be accorded due recognition at events. But must he habitually arrive late and then disrupt proceedings, knowing that he has supporters who would throw all caution to the wind to hail him? If the former governor thinks he is “stealing the show” from others at events, he is getting it absolutely wrong.

He is instead exhibiting bad leadership examples for young Nigerians who would think arriving late at public events and breaching protocols is an acceptable norm. Generally, Nigerian politicians and leaders have a bad reputation when it comes to arriving late at official events, disrupting schedules and causing chaos.

This bad habit is not only unprofessional, but it also reflects poorly on our country as a whole. To be candid, the constant disregard for punctuality and protocols demonstrates a lack of respect for the attendees, whether they are fellow leaders or members of the public. Being late sends the message that your time is more important than anyone else’s. It shows a lack of discipline and organizational skills. Furthermore, the security protocols usually put in place to protect dignitaries and other guests may be compromised if someone always arrives outside of the agreed-upon time and causes chaos.

All things considered, leadership is not all about platitudes, sloganeering, populism and rabble rousing. It is about a high sense of responsibility and integrity to lead by example. Our leaders have a moral responsibility to understand that arriving late at official events and disrupting proceedings is not a sign of power, popularity or influence. It is, in fact, a sign of weakness and poor etiquette.

Therefore, we must step up, behave better and set good examples in punctuality, discipline, respect for others, professionalism and strict adherence to established protocols, as these are the hallmarks of a true leader.