Here’s a picture: Stepping out of this exotic car, Range Rover Sport, you might be eulogized to a drum roll and all the Superman 1 of all time. As can be seen from many high-life songs, the community is becoming saturated with (empty) titles. Everyone is now the king of the street who MUST be known to be known. These days I hear Chieftain and there are automatically a range of perceptions in my head – sycophant, mediocrity, thirst for power and selfishness; For a pic, I see an I Rich Pass My Neighbor generator at work – the battle of the loudest, you know what they say about empty kegs. Titles in Nigerian society are filtered into Church, Politics/Government, Entertainment and probably Sports as well. From the titles themselves to the separation of relevance, this is just a demonstration of creativity at its funniest. I’m not sure how it works, but it’s as if people believe that charisma is achieved through the acquisition of numerous titles from all walks of life.
Winning titles is a cultural thing in Africa, but Nigeria is. In the good old days, titles were awarded for deserving citizens and qualifications were based on esteem as a socially relevant figure in the community. Unfortunately, this practice has long since been falsified for superficial reasons. Every “boss” you know is in politics or nurtures a possible start in politics – locally or nationally. Men with the title used to be leaders and pacesetters for the people in a community, but now that that arm of leadership has been perverted there are many bad representations of how things should be done. Titles have historically been awarded on merit – as a reward for ingenuity, integrity, Continuity in striving for the good of the community and in recognition of selfless service, but now it’s only available to the rich and famous. Someone once told me that there is no selfless act on earth and this subject doesn’t seriously leave me much room to dispute. It’s almost as if there is an underlying motive behind every good service performed in the 21st-century chief’s institution. Good should definitely be rewarded, but not when you feel entitled and selfish about yourself. You have no problem blowing your own trumpet if you deserve it and deserve it someone will notice. that there is no selfless act on earth and this subject seriously doesn’t leave me much room to dispute. It’s almost as if there is an underlying motive behind every good service performed in the 21st-century chief’s institution. Good should definitely be rewarded, but not when you feel entitled and selfish about yourself. You have no problem blowing your own trumpet if you deserve it and deserve it someone will notice. that there is no selfless act on earth and this subject seriously doesn’t leave me much room to dispute. It’s almost as if there is an underlying motive behind every good service performed in the 21st-century chief’s institution. Good should definitely be rewarded, but not when you feel entitled and selfish about yourself. You have no problem blowing your own trumpet if you deserve it and deserve it someone will notice.
The idea of true leadership has been misconstrued. As people buy into academic institutions, chief titles have become sparse, cheap, and affordable. If the boss you know doesn’t have 1 or 2 great mansions or other accessories that go with wealth, you only know of a self-proclaimed roadside boss that’s also becoming more widespread. People become and act as bosses for all the wrong reasons. On the other hand you wonder why those who deserve it are not recognized, now everything has a price and since the focus of the entire world is the color and weight of your money, they probably cannot afford it. There have been cases where an Ozo’s family could not meet the requirements for an Ozo burial. So when you review the financial cost of being and dying for a titled man and balance that against your family’s ability, you’d rather have your reward in heaven and not put your family at an undue hurdle.
Just as you think about the possible criteria for being a brand ambassador, you are also interested in understanding the current celebrity and title business. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the actress, the singer, the human rights activist, the media mogul and the extraordinary audience.” It’s different when a barber calls himself a performance enhancer, but when the Nigerian rapper brags about being the only “MC with the Msc,” the title madness is felt in secular entertainment, too. You can only mention a few actors and actresses who have not yet worked out their own chief titles. Entertainers in their own rights as public figures enjoy popularity, often attached to power and leadership as so many look to them as successful role models. There are days when you see a movie and for some reason you want to meet the people behind the scenes who made the work lively and fun enough. You find a person who is the director, producer, screenwriter and soundtrack designer and I wonder why his name isn’t Jack, I mean what can’t he do? That does not make sense. Yes, some people have been blessed with multitasking, but these folks will confess to you that some or more of their tasks perished because of unequal attention. It seems that the acquisition of titles, cultural, national and even international, is done in a spirit of competition. The more titles, the more recognition I think.
Certainly titles can get you in trouble in Nigeria Say you learned that “Ms” can be used for both married and unmarried women and you apply it to a short-sighted female banker? This is problematic and downright derogatory, especially if you’re a younger woman. How about “madam” for someone who hasn’t come to terms with their wrinkles? Please don’t try. In the same way, it is considered a criminal offense for some not to be properly recognized as “Chef” or “Dr.” or “Prof.” It is assumed that you do not acknowledge their achievements, which are clearly “personal” and have not influenced the price of peanuts in the market. Lately, global society has encouraged the annoying trend of self-entitlement: “how about me”, “it’s all about me”, “it’s my life”. Of course, but your life will have no meaning if you live alone. Without the community, your individuality has no meaning. Many smart people have noticed this tendency and, in turn, have used it as a cover to gain titles and recognition. It’s encouraging when people start engaging with community causes, but there’s no doubt that some people do these things for superficial reasons. I haven’t heard anything about anonymous sponsored projects in Nigeria. Everyone wants a pat on the back and a town crier to preach the gospel of their grandiosity. everyone wants to be important; everyone wants to make a statement. The title madness seems to give the illusion of indispensability, and that’s bad for anyone’s sanity. No one has ever been indispensable on planet earth.
To be recognized in government, you are expected to be known and respected in your community. Why else would a politician want titles if he doesn’t want to claim that he is in fact not alienated from his community? Some wish to be among the few who enjoy the political (financial) benefits of associating with politically minded people. those who will enjoy bribing grassroots political candidates. Politics without money makes no sense in Nigeria, so lobbying in the guise of tradition is a ploy to take ownership of your game. Of all the professions in Nigeria, Politics is first on the list that makes you smile hardest at the bank and everyone wants a taste of the national pie, that literally exists. Knowing recently that Jay Z is the Sarkin Waka of Kwara wasn’t as surprising as knowing that current Nigerian President Buhari became Aba’s Ogbuagu 1 during his campaign.