By Promise Njoku-Adibe
We talk a lot about good leadership in Nigeria. We talk about leaders who should
be accountable, responsible, transparent and committed to the people. But there
is another part of the conversation we do not discuss enough: the responsibility
of those who follow them.
What does it really mean to support a leader?
Does supporting a politician mean defending everything he does, even when we
know it is wrong? Does belonging to a political party mean we must agree with
every decision taken by its leaders? And does loyalty require us to remain silent
when something is clearly not right?
I do not believe it should.
There is nothing wrong with supporting a leader whose vision we believe in.
Leaders need people who believe in them and are willing to stand with them. But
there must be a line between support and blind loyalty.
A responsible follower should be able to say, “I support this person, but I do not
agree with this particular decision.” That should not make anyone an enemy.
Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly difficult in our political space.
Sometimes, we defend people simply because they belong to our party, come
from our part of the country, share our religion or are considered “our person.”
We excuse what we would condemn if the same thing were done by someone on
the other side.
That is where we need to pause and ask ourselves: Are we supporting people, or
have we surrendered our conscience to them?
When we defend wrongdoing because it comes from someone we support, we
are not helping that person. We are encouraging the very behaviour we complain
about when it is done by others.

The responsible follower should be able to ask questions. Where is the money
going? What happened to that promise? Why was this decision taken? What has
been achieved? What can be done differently?
These questions should not be seen as disrespect or betrayal. They are part of
responsible citizenship.
This becomes even more important as Nigeria moves towards another election.
We should not allow political loyalty to take away our ability to think for
ourselves. We can support a candidate and still examine his or her record. We can
belong to a political party and still disagree with some of its decisions. We can
admire a leader and still hold that leader accountable.
Leaders, too, must learn to accept this.
A leader who cannot tolerate questions will eventually surround himself with
people who only tell him what he wants to hear. That is dangerous for any
society.
Good followers do not blindly praise their leaders, just as good leaders should not
demand unquestioning loyalty from their followers.
Nigeria needs citizens who can stand with their leaders when they are right, speak
up when they are wrong and refuse to defend wrongdoing simply because of
political, ethnic, religious or personal ties.
Nigeria needs good leaders, but we also need RESPONSIBLE FOLLOWERS.
Sometimes, the problem is not only that leaders do the wrong thing. It is that too
many people see it, know it is wrong, and still choose to defend it.
Supporting a leader is a choice. BUT KEEPING YOUR CONSCIENCE SHOULD NEVER
BE NEGOTIABLE.
Mrs Njoku-Adibe is an Abuja based Media Practitioner and Public Affairs analyst