Dear Dr Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu),
I am writing this letter at a time when your name is
travelling from one community to another, from one conversation to another, and
from one gathering to another. You have chosen to enter a political contest
that will demand much from you, but before politics becomes about numbers,
meetings, posters and the final decision of the people, I want to speak to the
man who has chosen to take this journey.
There is something courageous about putting yourself
forward for public service. It means accepting that people will look at your
life from different angles. Some will admire you, some will question you, some
will support you because of what they know about you, while others may form
opinions without knowing your story. Once you step into the public space, you
cannot control every opinion about you. What you can control is the kind of
person you choose to remain. That, perhaps, is the most important part of this
journey.
Dr Chima, as you travel through Owerri Zone and meet
different people, I hope you remember that every face you see carries a story.
The woman who welcomes you at an August meeting has her own struggles. The
young person who approaches you may be carrying a dream that he has not told
anyone. The elderly man who shakes your hand has memories of a different
Nigeria and may have watched many political seasons come and go. The mother who
smiles at you may have worries hidden behind that smile. You may meet hundreds
of people during this campaign, and it may not be possible to remember every
name, but for some of them, meeting you may be a moment they remember for a
very long time.
That is why I hope you will never underestimate the
importance of kindness. Politics can make people forget the simple things. It
can make every gathering feel like a contest and every conversation feel like
an opportunity to gain an advantage. But beneath all of that is humanity.
People still want to be respected. They want to be heard. They want to know
that those who seek to represent them understand that their lives are real and
their concerns are not merely campaign material.
You have chosen a road that will place you among people
from many different backgrounds. Some will welcome you warmly. Some will ask
difficult questions. Some will disagree with you openly. Some will not
understand your intentions. Do not allow any of these things to make you lose
the patience to listen. A person does not become weaker by listening.
Sometimes, listening is the strongest thing a person can do.
There will also be moments when you will be tired. There
will be days when the journey from one engagement to another feels long. There
will be evenings when you return home and realise how much energy a political
campaign can take from a person. When those moments come, remember that you are
not the first person to discover that public service comes with sacrifice. The
road to public office is never only about the destination. It is also about
everything the journey teaches you.
You will learn about people you might never have met
otherwise. You will hear stories that may change the way you look at certain
issues. You will see the strength of communities and the determination of
people who continue to build despite difficulties. Allow those experiences to
shape you. Do not let politics harden your heart. That is one of the greatest
dangers of public life.
It is easy to become surrounded by people who tell you
only what you want to hear. It is easy to believe every cheer means agreement
and every criticism means hatred. But a person who truly wants to serve must be
able to separate praise from truth and criticism from malice. Keep people
around you who can tell you when you are wrong. Keep people around you who will
remind you of the promises you made to yourself before the applause became
loud. Keep people around you who will never allow public office to make you
forget where you came from.
And when you meet ordinary people, never treat them as
ordinary. The trader who leaves her shop to attend a meeting is important. The
farmer who works under the sun is important. The student worrying about
tomorrow is important. The worker struggling to provide for a family is
important. The woman building a small business with little support is
important. Their lives are part of the reason public service exists. This is
why your political journey should always remain connected to the human beings
behind the statistics.
One day, this campaign will be over. The meetings will
end. The speeches will stop. The vehicles will no longer move from one
gathering to another with the same frequency. The posters will gradually
disappear, and people will return to their ordinary routines. And when that
happens, what will remain? Your title may remain for a while. Your photographs
may remain in people's phones. Your name may remain in political conversations.
But the deepest thing that will remain is how people remember you.
Did you make them feel respected? Did you encourage them?
Did you keep your word? Did you remember the people you met when there was no
camera present? Did you remain accessible after the excitement had gone? Those
are questions that no campaign team can answer for you. Only your life can
answer them.
Dr Chima, you are now asking the people of Owerri Zone to
look at you as someone who can carry a responsibility on their behalf. That is
a serious request, and I hope you carry it with the seriousness it deserves. Do
not be in a hurry to prove everything. Let your actions speak. Let your
character speak. Let your consistency speak. Let time speak.
There will always be another slogan, another speech and
another political argument. But there is only one you. Protect the person you
are beneath the politics. And if the road becomes difficult, do not be ashamed
of the difficulty. Some journeys are difficult because what lies at the end of
them matters.
Your journey has only begun, and nobody can predict every
turn it will take. There will be unexpected doors, unexpected friendships,
unexpected challenges and perhaps moments that will test you more than you
imagined. Meet each one with wisdom. If you succeed, remain humble. If you are
criticised, remain calm. If you are praised, remain grounded. If you make a
mistake, have the courage to admit it. If you are given an opportunity to
serve, remember that the office belongs to the people, not to the person
occupying it. That is the difference between holding a position and leaving a
legacy.
I hope that years from now, when you look back at this
period of your life, you will remember more than the political outcome. I hope
you will remember the people you met, the hands you shook, the stories you
heard, the communities you entered and the lessons you learnt. I hope you will
remember the faces behind the crowds. And most of all, I hope you will remain
the kind of person who understands that public life is ultimately about people.
Dr Chima Matthew Amadi (Mazi Gburugburu), this is an open
letter, but it is also a simple reminder. The road ahead is yours to walk. Walk
it with courage, walk it with humility and walk it with a heart that remains
open. Walk it knowing that people are watching, but also knowing that beyond
the eyes of the public is your own conscience, which will one day ask you
whether you truly gave the journey your best.
May you have the strength for the difficult days, the
wisdom for the important decisions and the humility to remember the people who
make every political journey possible. And when this chapter eventually becomes
history, may it be a chapter worth remembering.
With sincere wishes for the journey ahead,
Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu
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