EDITORIAL: WHAT IS EXCELLENT ABOUT ‘HIS EXCELLENCY?
BY TREK AFRICA NEWSPAPER
Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu
Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu recently cautioned people not to refer to him as ‘His Excellency’ because only those who have performed excellently deserve the title.
In his earlier assertion at a church event, the Governor said, ‘I don’t want title in front of my name. I am actually going to come up with an executive order…this excellency thing, I think it is when you have finished and if you earn it, then you should be called excellency.’
Trek Africa Newspaper observed that putting action to his words, Mr. Governor, in conformity with his instruction, delivered an order stating: ‘Today, I wish to drop the title and to embrace a more representative one; Mr. Governor.
In the last five months that I have been privileged to exercise the mandate freely given to me by the great and hardworking people of Lagos State, it has come to my consciousness to review certain features of citizen-government relations. These features impede the genuine expression of the democratic spirit of our society and the meaningful exercise of the sovereignty of our people.’
‘…This demi-god mystique spreads over the entire machinery of the executive arm of the government, symbolising an authoritarian disposition on the governed. It has deformed the orientation of the elected and appointed persons who are paid from the taxes of the people.’
And that’s it!
The ‘His Excellency’ tag blurs the servant-leader orientation and disposition required for true development in the comity of humanity.
How can a nation thrive in an atmosphere where the leader is regarded as so far away from the led? How did the tag ‘His Excellency’ enter the governance lingo in Nigeria in the first place? Is it an official appellation as stipulated by the grund norm of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or some sycophantic cognomen bandied by politicians, praise singers and pundits?
The situation has deteriorated so much that even those without political offices are labeled as Honourable, Ambassador, General, Brigadier, Captain et al. What used to be a musician’s thing in the ‘80s and ‘90s has now permeated the general society. What’s with Africans and titles?
Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, Jacinda Ardern, the leaders that we cherish and love to associate with go about their daily activities using their names without titles. Will African leaders ever find their self-worth and respect without name tags?
Thumbs up to Mr. Governor Sanwo-olu!
The governor’s pronouncement is a step in the right direction as our democracy aims to evolve into one that will be respected on the African continent, nay, worldwide. ‘Only God, the Almighty, the Creator, the Protector is the Most Excellent. No man can share His eternal qualities.’
