Admin.
As Prince Otu, the Cross River Governor Elect, prepares to take over from the outgoing Governor Ben Ayade, in 43 days time, it is noteworthy that there is a multitude of both those who are working in the outgoing administration and another embellished and excited horde of “it is our turn” incomers, who are pressuring Prince Otu, in the hope of getting a chance to work in his government.
For most of these people, this rush is not because they want such government appointments or access to the incoming governor, for the development of their communities. It is actually to give them the status and money to go back to their communities to tilt their shoulders up.
I’ve asked one of the persons lobbying, what will getting into Prince Otu’s government do for his people, he rather told me, “an appointment will give me POWER and make me a political leader in my Ward with Authority. It will also improve my CV. I have been oppressed for too long. It’s our turn.”
Power is generally the product of personal traits like charisma and expertize. Authority is a title given from an outside source, such as an organization or a government.
Power can be learned and gained, and generally the more knowledgeable a person is in their field, the more power they have. Similar to charisma, power depends on the way others view a person; if they do not consider you powerful, then you will lack power.
Power is a personal trait that affects people at every social level of their lives. Power can be gained through experience and lost through mistakes and bad behaviour, but people tend to continue becoming more powerful and influential the longer they work and live. Power is not hierarchical, and can flow in any direction of a relationship.
Authority on the other hand is a formal title or position that gives someone the tools to influence other people within where you are appointed. A person in authority is often powerful, but power is not necessary for authority. Authority is important for many hierarchical systems and organizations to operate smoothly and quickly.
Power, compared to authority, is an informal method of influence. A person or organization does not need to have any formal status within a hierarchy to become powerful. For example, an employee with a high level of experience and technical expertize will often become powerful and influential to their peers, managers, and clients, even if they do not hold a managerial title.
Authority is a formal method of influence. Authority must be given within a hierarchical structure, and cannot be assumed just because someone is powerful. But power can be assumed without being in authority.
So stop thinking that you need to have a political appointment to have power.
And he is not the only one thinking like that. There are hundreds of them who are on this hussle who know that their interest in getting into the next government isn’t to go and serve. It’s for preservation. The question arising therefrom is, why on God’s green earth, will people desire government positions when they know they cannot serve?
Part of the inability to measure the success of the outgoing governor favorably is his penchant for populating his government with people who have no offices, job description or even expected deliverables. Yours sincerely, will continue to warn that we must not tow that infamous path again. It is heartwarming that Prince Otu himself has promised to make appointments unattractive to Cross Riverians. I think this statement is very important now considering what we are grappling with.
It’s a given that he will form a government and he will appoint Cross River people into offices as required by law. My intervention here is simply calling for the intentional recruitment of people with the requisite capacity and interest in hitting the ground with a process that will create growth, progress, positive change, a rise in the level and quality of life of our population, and the creation or expansion of local income and employment opportunities, with adequate consideration for environmental protection.
These basic ingredients of development have depreciated very rapidly in the last decade and consequently hooked our people to the banal practice of rent seeking from government. This can be phased out and it should.
Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.
